It Had To Be You! ?
by Saskwatche
Summary: She turned away from him at the tavern, but what if he was to intrude in her castle and this time she didn't have the luxury to walk away? Her fate is sealed with his, by the sickness of his boy and her damned soft spot for children. The Not-So-Evil-Queen will be bound to face her darkest side in a desperate fight for true love and happiness. Can she truly manage to fight it off?
1. Setting on a Journey

**This actually is my first fanfiction ever, so please be indulgent. I have been working on it for a while, writing many different version of the same idea, tearing up pages and going nowhere... But now I feel confident enough to bring it out into to world. Hope you will enjoy this first chapter. :)**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I own the ideas not the characters.**

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It was dark in the woods where the merry men had decided to set camp. Most of the men around the fire were passed out, completely drunk, or chit chatting a tad too loudly, but there were two of them sitting apart from the crowd, staring at each other like death was upon them. The taller and quite frankly bigger man had a very serious look upon his face. He didn't seem to agree with what his leader had just told him, but the other man –the said leader- was dead serious and he was trying to convince his second in command that the idea he had was actually a fairly good idea…

"I have to, Little John," he said glancing toward a little boy curled up on a thin bed of straw and fabric, "his health is getting worse by the minute and I can't bear to let him die. He's all I have left of Marian!" The man was obviously getting really emotional over the wife he had just lost some years prior…

Little John looked at him; of course he knew Robin was right. He also knew that he couldn't stay here with his arms crossed, and so he looked at him his expression getting even more serious –if that actually was possible- and gave the other man a slight nod of agreement. Although he was reluctant to let him go on his own.

"You barely made it alive last time and you actually owe your and your family's life to the Dark One's maid… and you know his castle wasn't guarded, how do you expect surviving _her _castle? You can't leave your son without a father…" he said calmly.

"And I can't let my son leave me all alone! He's all I have and he's four years old, bloody hell!" the father clearly was unhinged.

Just like that everything was decided; Robin Hood would leave tonight and go through with his plan, even though Little John disagreed. The tall man begged his friend to take at least one man with him, _'just in case_' he had said, but Robin had denied any help. He was going on his own. Anyway it was only a three days walk –a day and a half if he was riding-, and hopefully the man had planned on taking his horse.

Little John was still trying to talk his best friend out of doing something so stupid, but the thief wouldn't listen. He was too busy packing up all of his stuff and making sure he had all he needed for the journey.

* * *

At the end of the next day he was all ready to go, so he saddled his horse and putted the horse's saddlebag on its back. Before leaving Robin looked towards his little boy, who was sleeping once more, he walked to him and woke him up. The four year old opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at his father, a weak smile upon his face. Robin kissed him on his forehead, whispering to him that he would be back very soon. The boy wrapped his arm around his father's neck, obviously not ready to let him go. In fact, he was terrified of not seeing him return, but the toddler also knew his father was leaving to find something to make him feel better, he also knew it would be an utterly dangerous raid that his father was going on… Tears came to his brown eyes and ran down his cheeks. His father hushed his sobs and wiped away his tears, before squirming out of his boy's arms. The grown man held back tears as he got back on his feet and walked away.

As he walked towards his horse, Robin could hear that his little Roland had started sobbing again. He got on his raven black stallion and looked at his best friend walking his way.

"You take care of him alright? I'll be back as soon as I can…" his voice was trailing off. The tall man looked right into his eyes simply saying "Promise."

Robin nodded gratefully, gave his faithful steed a kick in the flank and started his journey towards the dreadful castle of the Evil Queen.

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**So? What did you think? I'm eager to get some reviews and stuff. Hope you will want to read more of it and if you want you can even follow me on Tumblr, under the username saskwatche, to get exclusive sneak peek :P **


	2. An Empty Castle and an Empty Heart

**Thanks for the review peeps, it gave me the will to start this weekend with another chapter. It's a long one :P**

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He had ridden his horse for a day without ever stopping –or the least he could- and he now stood on top of a hill, the glooming silhouette of the huge castle threatening its surroundings. Its towers seemed terribly imposing and the sight of them sent chills down Robin's spine. Estimating the distance that separated him from the castle the man decided he would continue for a while on his horse before he would start to walk. _It must be at least half a day away_, he thought. He smiled and after admiring the towering castle, he gave his steed a gentle kick in the flank and trotted down the hill.

As they approached the castle, Robin grew very nervous. He stopped his stallion and gracefully got down of it. He tied his horse's bridle around a tree trunk, took the little he had left in his steed's saddlebag and started walking the few miles that still separated him from one of the castle's secret entrance. _Here we go, there's no backing down now… _he thought as he sighed loudly. He glanced towards his horse one last time and then went further into the forest.

* * *

The outlaw walked for what felt like at least three hours, though he could not tell since the sun was completely blocked by the thick branches and leaves; when he finally found the secret cave entrance that would lead him inside the castle walls. For a moment he hesitated, hoping that the person who tipped him off didn't lie to him, and then shaking his head he entered the cave and lit up a torch to light the way. He walked for a couple minutes without any problems and he could not help himself to anything else but sigh when he saw the first of many traps that lay ahead –if he had entered the Dark One's castle avoiding every single trap, a paranoid queen was no match for him…- And so he went on, avoiding quite easily every trap. He was now standing at the end of the cave; he could see the hidden entrance of it if he just turned around and now he was looking for the passage that would lead him inside. He dropped the torch on the floor and started to feel the wall with his hands, looking for a mechanism that would activate a door of some sort. Fortunately after what seemed like an eternity he finally found a tiny lever that once activated, lowered the stone wall he was standing next to.

The thief stepped inside the confined hallway that he just discovered. It was so narrow that he had to press his chest against the stone walls and move forward one step at the time. While he was crossing the hall, Robin, could not stop but think that the person who passed through here must have been ever so petite… And then it struck him, maybe the queen was not as imposing as he thought…

A couple of minutes later, Robin saw a tiny metal door in front of him, only a few steps away, making him sigh in relief.

* * *

Lock picking the door proved to be way easier than he expected. Opening and stepping through the door, the outlaw found himself at the bottom of an old –very old- and unused staircase. Cob webs hung from everywhere and dust filled the air as soon as Robin would make a move. Waving his arms in the air, destroying the webs, he walked towards the first flight of stairs. Quickly the thief snuck up the stairs, making the less noise possible. Once again he found himself in front of a door; it was insignificant and made of wood. He pushed it open, surprised to find it wasn't locked, he stepped inside a large dark room, filled with decorative armors and large tapestry. Following his thief's instinct, Robin glanced around the room searching for something of value or something magical. He was disappointed to see nothing of the sort, but he did spot the exit at the other end of the room; a large wooden door. He walked towards it, opened it slowly and snuck into a deadly silent hallway. The dim light of the candle danced on the walls, creating all sorts of creepy shadows.

The sight of the hall gave Robin shivers; the queen's castle was way more sinister then the Dark One's. Even though the man was scared out of his wits, he started to walk down the hall, entering every single unlocked room he could find and looking for anything that could bare magical properties. He didn't know where to look and he could feel an urgent feeling growing inside of him. He knew very little about this place, which didn't really help… In the same way, he knew very little about the Evil Queen, he remembered hearing people saying she dressed in a very provocative and arrogant way –always showing her assets-, but other than that he didn't know what she looked like… That thought made the thief sigh as he continued his search in the seemingly empty castle.

* * *

At some point, Robin ended up in the royal garden. He had no idea how he had gotten here, but he was glad he did. The full moon was high in the sky and she shone bright above a single fruit tree –or so it seemed to bare fruits-… It was a truly beautiful scene; the way the leaves reflected the moonlight like they were made out of mirrors was astonishing; Robin felt compelled by so much magnificence. Ever so slowly –never forgetting where he actually was- he walked towards the tree; he wanted to taste the fruit it gave him. As he got closer he noticed it was a mature apple tree. Once he got near it, he reached out to grab an apple that seemed as red as ruby, he pulled on it slowly and froze his movement when he heard someone sobbing. He looked all around him and noticed that the muffled sound of someone crying came from behind the tree; where a stone bench laid there with a small young woman on it. Being as silent as he could, Robin let go of the fruit and placed himself in a position in which he could observe the woman. She had tucked her legs under her chin and was looking down at the land and the villages that could be seen from up there. She was softly bathed by the moonlight; Robin could admire every single of her feature and even with her cheeks damped in tears she looked stunning, in every way.

Staying in the shadows, Robin could only feel conflicted, he was intruding someone's intimacy, but he also wanted to help her. She seemed so vulnerable; her cries where so heart breaking and it made the man feel truly sorry for her. He took a closer look at her when he noticed something glistening in the moonlight; a golden ring. She was holding it, next to her lips, like her life depended on it. As he was watching the scene unravel before him, she slightly turned around, like she knew she was being observed, her gaze fell upon the dark corner where Robin had found shelter; he stood there like frozen, not even breathing, until she turned back. Still holding the ring, she let out a loud desperate scream that could've been compared to the howl of a wolf abandoned by his pack. It tore Robin's soul apart and he knew that at this moment he had to go… but just like he was compelled towards the apple tree, he was impelled by her misery. A poor young woman, dressed in a light beige nightgown with her hair stuck in a loose braid.

In a flash he had decided to go to her. She was intriguing, he wondered who she might have been and he wondered why she was crying, although it probably wasn't any of his business… So he took a deep breath and started walking, incapable of standing there seeing her beauty tainted with so much pain.

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**So what do you think of their first meeting? I'll probably upload the third chapter right away, or maybe tomorrow. **


	3. A Girl Named Regina

**As promised the new chapter is up today. Quite frankly it's kind of already written in a notebook of mine and I just rewrite it while adding new parts... Hope you enjoy it ^.^**

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***_Earlier that day***_

The air was quite chilly, the sun shone into the room, making the Queen's endless collection of jewellery glisten on the wall and ceiling in a thousand variations of colors, but Regina felt like everything around her was in shades of grey. She was standing on her chamber's balcony looking at the scenery; her thoughts were drifting away like they always did on this particular date. She thought about her ex-fiancé, _Daniel_, the name echoing in her mind, she thought about the night he had died –his heart ripped out of his chest. A stray tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

She looked down towards the center of the castle's courtyard; the fire that was supposed to keep the burglars out with magic was out. _Again_, she thought. She looked at the bright blue sky, recalling the fairy that had saved her life from falling off this same balcony.

She had given her a chance at happiness… She could've been happy, but as usual she had screwed it up. She had walked away and held onto anger.

The Queen let out a sigh as tears started to threaten her eyes once more. She blinked quickly, trying to make them disappear, only resulting in them falling from her eyes and wetting her beautiful beige nightgown.

Turning her back to the outside world, she walked back inside while wiping away fiercely the hot streaks of water that were running down her cheeks, heading towards her bed.

_What is wrong with me, damn it?!_

Even with all her efforts to stop crying, her tears grew only stronger. Her sadness now mixed with rage and despair. The Queen's mood was unsettled, it made her feel vulnerable. She didn't feel like hunting down the woman who had wronged her, even with her best effort she didn't feel like the _Evil Queen_, she was the young heartbroken girl who had loved her stable boy. Today, she was the one she used to call Regina, not your Highness nor your Majesty, simply Regina…

* * *

She gracefully undid the covers and got in her large and empty bed. Her front side was laying against the mattress, while her head was buried into her pillow –to muffle her sobs and her screams.

Silencing herself she could hear everyone running around in the hallway that led to her chambers. She suddenly felt so alone in this crowed palace that this mere thought got her to choke back a sob.

* * *

Few hours later she had stopped crying, the bright light of the afternoon sun shone bright in her room, but she felt so exhausted. Her misery and pain had stolen all the energy she had in the morning. Without even thinking about it twice, she curled up under the sheets, bringing her knees to her chest and she slowly closed her eyes; falling almost immediately into a deep sleep.

_She was flying; she could not believe it, even though she had experienced it the night before. Far down in the villages she saw a pub, in which the trail of pixie dust was leading her. She smiled, anxious, looking at the green fairy flying beside her. They landed softly in the streets of the quiet little village, the only noises coming from the inside of the crowded tavern._

_"He's in there Regina," said Tinkerbell with a bright smile, "so just go. You can love again and leave all the anger that weights you down." _

_On these words, she flew away, leaving a distressed young Regina in her wake. With a determined look, she peeked through the window and grabbed the door handle in the meantime. _

_Afraid she went inside and walked up to the stranger –she needed to see his face. She bit her lower lip realising she didn't know how to break the ice between them… She opted for a simple touch on his shoulder; he slowly turned around and appeared to her as a faceless man –she gasped. Then suddenly, a dark purple haze filled Regina's view, she could still feel the man with the lion tattoo's strong shoulder, but she knew something wasn't right._

_He glanced at her outfit; her light nightgown replaced by one of her extravagant Queen's dress –with a very plunging neckline- and her hair that used to fall upon her shoulder were now up in an imposing ponytail. Then he laughed; a cruel and guttural laugh that sent shivers down the young Queen's spine. _

_"How could I ever fall in love with a MONSTER like you!?" he shouted as he jabbed his sword into Regina's frail chest._

_"Death to the Evil Queen!" shouted the rest of the men sitting with the lion tattoo man. _

* * *

She woke up with utter terror in her eyes, she was out of breath and sweat beaded on her forehead. She sat down into her bed, trying somehow to catch her breath and make it steady again. Her attempt miserably failed and once again tears started to make their way down her perfect face.

Through her tears she took a look outside, it was pitch black –except for the few rays of moonlight.

She had had enough for the day and with shaky legs; she got out of bed, started walking towards the massive doors of her chambers and then wandered in the castle until she found herself in her gardens, where she knew lay a tiny bench on which she could sit and clear her mind. She looked up at the night sky, still holding Daniel's ring and started to cry once more.

* * *

The Queen felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, expecting it to be her father she was startled to see it was a complete stranger's hand. Furiously she wiped her red and swollen eyes and jumped on her feet. She soon apprehended that the man was no other then a thief, who had dared to step into her home. As she understood, her scared expression shifted into one of pure cruelty, she gazed at the stranger whose expression was now a confused one. He slowly backed away as if he realised who he was facing, although his reaction was vain.

She smirked at him and flicked her wrist, enveloping the thief –who she had to admit, looked terribly handsome under the moonlight- in her signature haze of magic.

Once he had disappeared she could only think about how much fun she would have with him when she would rip out his heart, in the morning, and turn him into one of her pet; just like she had done with the reckless huntsman.

She felt incredibly great at the mere thought of a new sexual pet…

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**Who's excited for tonight's episode? I surely am! Can't wait to see more Storybrooke gets Frozen storyline... **

**~ As always leave a review or something, telling me how you like the story so far. It helps me and motivates me to write more.**


	4. Meeting the Queen?

**So this is the fourth chapter, the fifth one is already written and will be uploaded soon :P.**

**I want to thank every single one of you, it really motivated me to write more then just a few pages in a crappy notebook. Keep sending reviews and tell me how I'm doing so far.**

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The purple cloud of smoke slowly started to fade from his sight. He had been transported into a dark room, he assumed for he could not see the night sky anymore. He could hear water drop from the ceiling, he could also smell how putrid the air surrounding him was. His prison smelt like death and the thief had to do everything in his power not to retch all over the place.

Once the initial chock passed he started furiously and blindly to look for a mean of escape. His strong hands feeling the stone walls until he met a metal bar, grasping it tightly until he felt many others along its side, then he understood what they were. Cell bars; he was stuck in the Queen's dungeon…

He started to shake the door as hard as he could, trying effortlessly to open it. He sighed, resigned to be executed in the morning. He had lost all hope and had now turned his back against the cell door, slowly sliding along it until his behind met the hard and cold ground. He thought about his son. Poor Roland would surely die now… The mere thought of his son dying made him shed a tear.

"I'm so so sorry Roland. I couldn't make it…" his voice broke as he choked back a sob "… I let you and your mother down. It's my entire fault. I let you down once more…"

He sobbed silently after those few words, falling into a deep exhausted sleep at some point of what must've been the remaining night.

* * *

Robin's back fell to the floor when the door he was leaning on opened swiftly. The outlaw awoke in a second, but he was still drowsy with sleep when he received a kick into his abdomen. He gasped for air as he stared at the dark figures in front of him, fully awoken and alert; he was waiting for the next blow to come… but it never did, instead the man grabbed him by one of his arm and gave the order to the other man behind him to do just the same.

The thief was confused; he looked blankly at both men. He tried saying something, but the words stayed stuck into his throat. Seeing the look he gave them, the taller guard simply laughed.

"Aren't you a lucky one, thief? The Queen desires your presence before your execution…" he barked at him.

Robin swallowed with quite a lot of difficulty. _The Queen… wants to see me? A common thief…_ He was now more confused than ever.

Ever so gently the guards dragged him along countless hallways and took many turns before landing in front of two extremely large wooden doors. They were engraved with sophisticated carved patterns, making them look ever so important.

Before knocking at the doors the guard looked over at Robin saying, "If you value what's left of your miserable life, look down; until she says otherwise…"

* * *

Three loud knocks where heard at the door of her chambers, she sighed and with a simple flick of her wrist the doors flew open. The two guards she had sent to pick up her handsome thief, in the dungeons, had finally arrived.

Swiftly she turned towards her knights, fury dancing in her brown eyes.

"Finally!" she snapped at them," It took you both long enough… You know how I feel about waiting don't you?" she taunted her fury transforming into a sadistic expression.

The two guards unsuccessfully tried to apologise –not a sound was coming out of their throats. Growing tired of their inaptitude, the Queen raised her hand to the air and started to squeeze it ever so slowly, chocking the taller of the two men.

The other man fell to his knees; finally able to apologize as he was bowing in front of her power. Satisfied she finally let go of the dying soldier, making him fall on the floor almost unconscious and still breathing, noticed Robin.

He had not looked at her; he had stared at the floor while she was beating down her own men. For the thousandth time since he arrived in the castle, he was astonished by the Queen's behavior.

The Queen looked towards the prisoner and then towards her guard. "Leave us." she said sharply.

"But your Maj–"stuttered the man who hadn't been chocked to almost death. Looking towards her he then revised himself. She looked pissed off –more than usual anyway…

"I am still the leader of this kingdom aren't I?! Do as I say and _leave_ _us, _or so help me God!" she roared in pure rage and fury.

The man got up swiftly, helped his brother in arms to his feet and they both quickly disappeared into the hall, almost running to save their life.

* * *

Robin looked into the room subtly without ever looking directly at the Queen's magnificence. Her tight navy velvet dress was moulding perfectly every single inch of her incredibly irresistible body. He frantically searched for a way to escape her grip before it was too late, then like she knew exactly what he was up to she started to chuckle lightly.

The sound coming from her sent Robin shivers down is spine; he wanted to hear it more often. It was such a delightful sound after all. He then heard a slow clap and the noise of clicking heels against the floor, they were coming towards him, he knew it –it was obvious too.

He closed his eyes apprehending his death, but when nothing happened he opened up his eyes and saw the bottom of the lace and navy velvet dress right before him.

"Look at me, outlaw." she ordered him in a terribly icy tone of voice.

So slowly he raised his gaze in direction of her face. His eyes passing over every inches of her delightful body, scrutinizing every curve, trying not to stop at the terribly transparent lace fabric that was covering her skin in between her wonderful breasts, going up once more and stopping over her crimson lips to finally stare into her brown eyes. As he looked into her eyes, he saw something he didn't expect mixed with fury and rage, there was desire…? As quickly as it came it had disappeared leaving only rage and fury in its wake.

She truly knew how to put forwards her assets. It made her seem so much more threatening than the night before. The young frail woman, who was crying had completely disappeared, showing only a ruthless temptress.

Slowly she got to eye level with him; her face was so close to him he could feel her breath brushing on his cheeks. "So… Who's Roland?" she asked, a bit of amusement in her tone.

To the mention of his son's name, Robin glared furiously at her –not saying anything. She got up almost immediately.

"Oh! So you think silence is bravery…" she arched a perfect eyebrow, hardly keeping a straight face in front of his foolishness, "… and not stupidity."

Having seemingly enough of the situation, the Queen reached forwards to the thief's chest.

Jabbing her hand into is torso; Robin felt an incredible amount of pain, making him wince and let out at loud gasp into her ear.

She smirked although he couldn't see her; she pulled her hand out of his body. A loud thump could now be heard in the room, his heart was in the Evil Queen's hands.

In an attempt to stop her from leaving with his heart, he reached towards the arm she was now pulling away from him; his right hand landing on her forearm and uncovering his tattoo.

She was surprised by the outlaw's bravery. His touch was electrifying it felt incredibly strange to her. She looked at him, her mask was clearly unsettled, she then stared at his hand like she was offended. After a moment her gaze was attracted by the ink on the man's forearm; ink, she hadn't noticed before this very moment…

_It's him. It's the lion tattoo! And you were about to kill him! _A timid and young voice ringed in her mind, sounding alarmed and confused.

The tattooed man she had feared ever since she had ran away from him…

Instinctively she backed down, took a few steps backwards and inadvertently let go of his heart –resulting in it crashing to the cold stone floor. Her only thought being _I was screwing up again._

* * *

Robin had a puzzled look upon his face; he had seen the Queen's reaction in every details. Her expression had decomposed when she had seen his tattoo.

He felt a rush of pain travel through his body as his heart landed onto the floor, but as soon as it was gone he lunged towards it. Quickly picking it up, he got to his feet and started to run in the direction of the doors he had been dragged through.

As he ran down the unguarded hall, he looked into his hands; his heart was beating fast. He never thought he would actually get to see his heart for himself –which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Not ever thinking of where he was heading he turned left, then right then left again. His head was completely focused on escaping her.

He heard a loud scream, full of anger; it seemed much more like a roar. He suddenly felt like a prey hunted down by a predator –the Queen for that matter. He knew he couldn't escape and he froze unable to move.

He looked over his shoulder and saw her wonderful silhouette walking down the hall. Her fury was palpable and if her eyes could kill he surely would've been dead right on the spot. The dark hallway in which he had turned was illuminated by a fireball she had just lit up in her hand.

Terror took hold of the thief's stomach. He couldn't move and he knew he would be fried on the spot, but instead a purple haze formed in his hand and he felt his heart disappear.

Finally catching up to him, she looked into his eyes a devious smirk plastered upon her lips and slightly started to squeeze his heart; waiting until the thief was on his knees before stopping.

"_Now_, who is this Roland you kept asking for? _Don't _make me ask a third time…"

He took a deep breath before muttering, "He's my son… and he's dying." Tears formed into his eyes, but he wouldn't allow them to fall down his cheeks.

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**Leaving on that sad note, I'm going to work on uploading the next chapter as soon as I can. See you soon my pretties. ^^**


	5. Unsuspected Twist

**Hope you enjoy that. I quite enjoyed writing it -and rewriting it, again and again. Things are getting heated. ^^**

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_His son!? He was here for his son!?_

Her heart sank in her chest as she slowly putted her hand on his shoulder. Her anger had suddenly completely faded away. She might've been evil, but she did have a soft spot for children. Her old self had always loved to be around children and she couldn't bear to see them suffer –unless it was the annoying brat that was Snow White…

She dropped her elegant body next to the thief's; with her free hand she took his chin –creating that burning sensation once more- to force him to look at her.

Her touch was gentle, probably too gentle for the Evil Queen, thought Robin, but he could see, even though her walls were still up, that in her eyes there was concern.

Concern for a child she had never even met…

"And you came here to save his life?" she asked before she could refrain herself.

Robin was utterly astonished; the beautiful queen that was sitting next to him wasn't as evil as everyone thought. Well at least she wasn't towards children.

The man simply nodded, unable to say more for fear his tears would run down his cheek and never stop.

Then he felt the same stinging pain he had felt earlier, looking down to his chest he noticed the Queen's hand into it. He curbed a gasp when she swiftly took out her hand –empty- his heart was back inside him and he could feel all the emotions that weren't as extreme when he didn't have it rush into him. That was it, his tears couldn't be held back anymore, and so they streamed ferociously down his beautiful blue eyes.

* * *

She looked at him, his tears and the distress in his eyes. He was such an emotional mess; it was tearing her blackened and crippled heart apart –just like her cries had torn Robin's heart in two.

She heard his voice get a little stronger and it ripped her from her train of thoughts. "… now my boy's gonna die without his father by his side. Always wondering what happened to his _daddy…" _

His voice broke into a sob. She couldn't take it anymore, all that love he had for his boy, being the exact contrary of what she had with her mother.

A cloud of purple smoke appeared in her hand and as it faded it revealed a tiny little jug filled with a light blue liquid.

"Here," she handed it to him, "take it. You wouldn't be here if you weren't looking for something magical. This will cure him." There was no venom in her voice, only pure compassion and she knew the thief had noticed her sudden change of tone.

Reluctantly, he took it from the Queen's hand, brushing his against hers, creating that spark between them. A small "Thank you, your Majesty." came from his lips.

* * *

He didn't look directly at her when she got up, but he could feel more then he could see the sincere smile upon her face as she started to walk back to her bed chambers, her hips swaying graciously and her tight dress moulding perfectly her delicious behind…

As he watched her go an urge woke up inside him, a primal and visceral need that he could only stop with one thing. He got swiftly to his feet –and stashed the vial into his bag- he ran until he was standing in front of her. To his delight she didn't walk past him, she stopped and looked at him with her eyebrow perfectly arched as if she wondered what the thief might've wanted more than his and his boy's life.

He grabbed her chin softly, moving it up towards his face. She knew what would happen, it was obvious, but she didn't pull away. She wanted what was about to happen, she wanted his lips running wildly on her bare skin…

As her face was pulled towards his, she slowly closed her eyes; he gently pressed his lips on hers, the kiss sending a shockwave through both of their bodies. Her heart started to beat faster and faster as their kiss deepened. Her lips parted and the thief started to nibble on the lower one ferociously. And instinctively her hands crashed into his hair, tugging on some strands as their tongues intertwined and dance with each other.

Parting to be able to breathe again, Robin was pretty sure he would get roasted… but it would have been so worth it –she actually was a very good kisser- and it was much to his surprise that he saw the Queen's eyes full of lust and desire.

Regina's hands made their way back to the thief's hair as she forcefully pinned him against the wall with another kiss. This time she led the dance and her teeth sank into the outlaw's lower lip –probably making it draw a bit of blood. She pulled his hair with so much force that the poor thief gasped –their mouth still glued to each other's.

Without even thinking twice Robin set his right hand on the Queen's delicious hips, the other one tightly grasping her arse, drawing a soft surprised moan from her lips. His thoughts ever so confused, he thought of all the things he could have her do or even better all the things she would do to him if they didn't have so much clothes on… but deep down he knew he had to leave it at that –it had to stay buried, a fantasy of his own-, but everything felt so right at this very moment.

Both of them were apparently enjoying themselves, ravaging one and the other with their hands and kisses; Robin kissing her along her jawline and then biting softly her neck where he could feel her pulse. Regina loved the feeling she had while attached to the thief –_her soul mate -_, she loved everything that was happening between them until her mother's voice made its way into her head.

_Love is weakness, Regina._

That was when she parted away from him definitely and for ever –or so she thought.

She gazed at him, his eyes fiery with lust and craving for more. She took a few steps back and took a few deep breaths, hoping it would be enough to straighten herself up.

Once her walls and masks were back in place, she stared at the thief with ice shards in her eyes.

"Leave before I change my mind and execute you myself," she snapped at him as she furiously started to walk down the hall.

* * *

And there she was. The Evil Queen was back. It was Robin's cue to get the hell out of there… He quickly ran down the hall in opposite direction of hers, hoping he would be able to find the exit. Much to his pleasure he did find the way to get out, the same way he had come in.

He felt terribly lucky, he had been caught but still lived to tell the tale –which obviously he wouldn't tell… His little adventure would stay just that –his own. Something he would never tell…

As he made his way back out of the cave he had entered a day prior, his thoughts were consumed by the crazy day he had.

* * *

**Soon I might have to take the ratings up a bit, it's heading towards a very hot turning point. Expect it to be considered M rated in a few chapters. Anyway, as always leave a comment or a review or a PM if you feel like it :P It motivates me to write things.**

**~On another new I will be posting another fanfic, it's probably only going to be a one shot, but I'll see how you peeps react to it.**


	6. Craving for a Blazing Woman

**Short chapter I know but to make it up to you peeps I'll upload the seventh chapter in less then a few hours. (It's going to get hot in the next chapter my sweets) Also I'm sorry for taking such a long time into putting this chapter online -I was too much into my other fic to continue this fluff kind of fic...**

**Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Back in the forest Robin could only wonder if anything that had happened was real. It felt so unreal, she had him at her mercy, she could've killed him so many times and yet he was still up and about. He was going back to his son to save his life.

_Why didn't she kill me? Why kiss her? Why did she kiss me back?_

As he found his steed where he had left him he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her beauty, the scar on her upper lip, the beauty mark near her mouth, her desirable eyes and her delicious curves, everything about the Queen made him go completely crazy and a bit too tight in his trousers…

_She truly is the fairest of them all,_ he thought, remembering her luscious lips upon his.

But their kiss meant nothing. He was the Prince of Thieves and she was the Evil Queen.

* * *

In her chambers Regina was pacing around the room, frustrated but also bewildered. She shouldn't have let him go after he kissed her; she should've killed him, but the boy… He was the true reason she had let him leave her palace. Damn her and her soft spot for children…

"Your Majesty, you should really stop pa–" her mirror wasn't able to finish his sentence before he vanished into a cloud of dark purple and reappeared into the Queen's vault.

"Useless Genie…" she gritted through her teeth.

"Heard that your Highness." He said appearing into her dresser's looking glass obviously offended.

She sighed loudly and with a flicker of her wrist every single mirror in her room had vanished. She could finally be alone and freak out as much as she wanted. As she got carried away she didn't even notice her fireplace had lit up, her anger –towards her own stupidity- was so intense it had lit a strong fire before her.

She yelled, so loudly that probably the whole kingdom could've heard her. She would never see him again, she would never smell his sweet scent –a scent of musk and sandalwood-, she would never gaze upon his face and she would never feel his electric touch ever again.

Her thoughts were a huge mess; she had so many emotions rushing through her that it had unleashed her magic. Dark waves of purple smoke emanating from her body, escaping from her every pore were washing around the room unleashing her fury on everything it could find.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around her and noticed the state her room was in. Every single piece of her expensive furniture was tossed around the place, the fire had started to make its way towards her carpet and all of her precious jewellery were scattered around the floor -some were destroyed beyond recognition…

She sighed. It was the first time such things had happened to her –not even her anger towards her abusive mother had had this effect on her. Not even her debutant's magic had done such damages while she was learning how to control it…

_It was only a kiss; _she told herself, _nothing more._

Those thoughts comforted her a bit. She continued reassuring herself saying that she had had many men bed her, each time it had meant nothing –it was for business and it was far more than a simple kiss…

Then why wasn't she able to forget him?! Why couldn't he just get out of her head, like all the others before him had? Why couldn't that thief just leave her thoughts alone…?

Still walking nervously around the room she felt a need grow in her, the need to see his face again, to make sure he was alright and that his son was better… But she couldn't, she was _evil_, she wasn't supposed to care about anyone else's happiness but her own. The urgency grew stronger and she caved in, in a swift movement of her wrist she made her sun shaped mirror appear on the wall before her. She called for the former genie, which instantly appeared a crossed look upon his face.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, show me the bravest thief of all…" she chanted slowly.

The mirror sighed and started to blur as his face was replaced by the image of a man walking towards a makeshift bed on which a little boy was lying. She sighed in relief, his toddler was still alive.

The thief got down on his knees, took out the vial from his satchel and opened it slowly handing it to his son.

"Here my boy, drink that. It should make you feel better." He looked utterly hesitant and the Queen's heart clenched. What was she thinking about, that he would give it to the toddler without hesitating about the motivation of the person who gave it to him? _Foolish, foolish girl…_

She shook her head and walked away from the mirror for a while. She could've seen the kid drink the pale blue liquid and the saddened look upon the father's beautiful face.

Regina sat in her lounger near the fireplace, looked around, flicked her wrist setting back her room as it was before she made a mess out of it, and then listened to the men talking in the forest her mirror was showing her. She closed her eyes softly; she could hear his husky voice from where she was now laying a smirk now enhancing her beautiful features.

* * *

"Hey Robin, come over here we need your help!" The Queen sat up in her chair and glared at the mirror; the thief was getting up and shouting to his mate that he would be right there.

Her smile widened. _Robin._ She let the name roll off her tongue as she purred it for herself. The thief's name was Robin, how very interesting…

Robin got up after hugging Roland for a bit too long. He sure hoped the Queen hadn't given him poison to give his boy. He would be heartbroken if he was to lose him too.

"We need you to cook. Someone brought back a deer and no one is as talented as you are when it comes to cooking on a makeshift fire…" a considerably young man had told him, waving at the carcass at his feet.

Robin smiled and nodded. "I guess I'll skin it too, while I'm there…" he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You're the best boss!" the young man said as he walked away.

And so the outlaw spent his whole time skinning and cooking for his merry men. The blazing fire in front of him warmed his face, making his skin tickle at some point because of the intense heat. As he looked at the raging flames in front of him, his mind was brought back to the days prior, when he had seen the same kind of flame dance in the Evil Queen's hand.

The dancing flames of the fire lighting his face, he closed his eyes letting the light flood as he tried to recall the stunning Queen. An image appeared on his closed eyelids, the fiery brown eyes of the Queen burning him, and then the image pictured her whole face, a mischievous grin on her plumped lips. She took her lower lip between her teeth and gestured to the thief, his mind now showing him an image of the Queen's complete almost naked figure –a long, black semi-transparent nightgown embracing her every curves. A smile grew on his lips as the vision he was having teased him and made his trousers way too tight once more…

"Oh fuck…" he semi groaned, semi muttered.

Little did he know that Regina was still spying on him through her magic looking glass… She smiled, assuming his thoughts were invaded by her as hers were plastered with images of him.

He stood up and walked to Little John. "I have to go back! I forgot something truly valuable back there…!" The look on John's face was unreadable.

"Go back where?"

"To the Evil Queen's castle…"

Little John shook his head in disapproval. "You can't do that Robin, your son… He needs you."

But Robin's mind was set; he wanted to see her again. He _needed_ to see her again.

* * *

**As usual leave a review -for motivation purposes- if you liked it. Follow it, Favorite it and all... Next chapter coming soon I promise!**


	7. A Scream in the Night

**As promise the next chapter is up. Ratings are going up also... Enjoy -it's kind of short but full of action.**

* * *

He was coming back! Regina's blackened heart sank into her chest so deep she thought it was lost forever. _He _would be back in less than two days… Her thief was returning to her –for her. She was thrilled and the way she swooned, doted and fawned –well almost all of those- was worthy of a young pre-pubescent teenager.

Her mirror came back in his original annoying form. His brows furrowed as he sported a scowl. "Your Majesty, this behavior is not worthy of a quee-"

Once more he found himself stuck in the Queen's vault before he could even finish his sentence.

"Two days… Should I greet him when he arrives or should I act like I didn't expect it…?" The struggle inside Regina was real and she couldn't make her mind up about it. She started to pace around her room once more, this time thinking about what to wear, what to do, how to act but mostly about what would happen between them.

* * *

_She waited for him, longing for his burning touch on her skin during two days. Regina was startled when the doors to her chambers flew open and she looked in their direction. In the dim light of her fireplace, she could only make out a strong hooded silhouette standing in the doorway. She stood up and walked confidently toward the hooded man._

_"I was waiting for you, thief." Her voice was husky and filled with desire._

_He took his hood off, revealing a penetrating blue gaze –shining bright with the fire of desire- and a smirk that melted the Queen's heart instantly. He looked her up and down slowly, admiring her from head to toe. She was wearing a black silk nightgown, it was short and fell right above her knees, her breasts were minimally covered and her cleavage was deliciously exposed to Robin's view._

_He licked his bottom lip and stared right into the Queen's eyes while taking a step in her direction. She smiled, flicked her wrist slamming the mahogany doors shut and locking them. Robin walked up to her; his hands were craving for her touch. He wanted to feel her soft olive skin under his fingers, he wanted to explore every single inches of her perfectly designed body._

_Quickly he closed the distance between their bodies and wrapped his arms around her small waist._

_Regina closed her eyes, breathing in his oh so singular smell. "Thief…" her voice was low, terribly low and it gave Robin shivers._

_Her hands naturally found their way into his light brown hair, ruffling them and tugging savagely on some strands, drawing guttural groans from the outlaw's mouth. He looked at her lips, wanting to taste them once more. He swiftly captured her mouth in a chaste kiss that transformed into a passionate one. She nibbled his parted lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth, searching for his. Their kiss grew deeper and deeper, their tongue dancing in a fierce motion. His hands slid down her arse and grabbed it forcefully causing the Queen to gasp into his mouth._

_Both out of breath, they broke the kiss. Their eyes locked, staring into each other's soul and understanding all the things they left unsaid._

_A burning sensation grew in Regina's stomach, her lips were still tingling and she needed to feel Robin's on her again. Like if he had read her mind he kissed her once more, but didn't stay long on her lips. He made his way towards her jawline and trailed soft wet kisses down her neck, searching for her pulse. As he found the throbbing vein in her neck he sucked on it and bit it tenderly, she gasped and the hold she had in his hair tightened drawing a small wince –which Regina could feel upon her skin- from Robin. Releasing her grip, she dropped her hands onto his chest, her fingers hastily reaching for the buttons of his shirt; undoing them in a quick motion. She slid her hands inside his shirt, feeling his skin for the first time. It was rough, but soft at the same time…_

_She dug her nails into the flesh of his shoulders when he started to trail his tongue on her breasts. He groaned against her skin and then looked up towards her._

_"My Queen…" his voice was incredibly low and his blue eyes were darkened by a vail of lust, "shall we-" she cut him off before he could finish as she deposited her lips on his, taking his lower lip between her teeth._

_Robin's hand made their way back to her waist as he pulled her even closer to his body. She gasped as she felt his length pressing on her –already extremely solid- and she let go of his lip. Her gaze went up to his; there was passion in her chocolate eyes._

_Tugging on the collar of his shirt, she started to walk back to her bed a playful grin marking her crimson lips. He willingly followed her and then he took her back in his arms so he could push her until she flinched against the bedside and fell –her back on the soft mattress and his chest over her._

_He grinned at her, supporting himself with his arms on each sides of the Queen's face and leaned in to French kiss her. She continued to untie his shirt, untucked it from his trousers and with a bit of difficulty passed it over his head. She gazed at his toned skin; every muscle perfectly chiseled, the simple view of his chest drew a sensual moan out of Regina's mouth._

_They twirled on the bed, shifting positions, according Regina the liberty of being on top of her thief. She smiled at him, licked her bottom lip and started ruffling the outlaw's hair. His hands roamed free on her body as he slowly slid the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders. He took them and slid them off her arms, making the Queen's pajama pool on his stomach, uncovering her glorious breasts. At the splendid view of the Queen's naked chest he let out a moan._

_Grasping his hands she put them upon her breasts, she moved to get the nightgown out of their way and let it fall on the bed. Taking advantage of the Queen's inattention Robin switched position caging once more Regina under him. He smirked and she answered him with a ravaging grin. Her hands made their way towards Robin's trousers –obviously annoyed that he still had them on… Expertly untying them and taking them off, she smiled when she saw her thief's erected glory under a thin layer of underwear. Robin's mouth started to suck on Regina's nipple as his thumb swirled around the other one. She moaned, louder than earlier._

_Her head fell back on the mattress, she felt herself nearing edge –and they hadn't even started the serious things…_

_The outlaw's hands roamed down her sides and found their way to her thighs, caressing them slowly before making their way to her apex. With his left hand he found the little bundle of nerves that could make her climax so easily and started massaging it in circular motions. His right hand found its way to her bent knee._

_Regina's hands grasped tightly the sheets, her breath becoming harsh, her moans louder mixed with groans and her outlaw's name._

_Robin's mouth started a trail of soft kisses on the Queen's stomach, heading south, he parted her legs slightly. She placed one of her limb on his shoulder as she anticipated his movements._

_Finding his way to her forbidden fruit, he tasted her. He moved his hand off her clit and grabbed her ass. His tongue hastily replaced his thumb as he started licking and sucking on it._

_Every single of his movements were soft, but filled with passion and desire._

_His tongue twirled with precision on the bundle of nerves between her legs; she moaned loudly as she felt her lower abdomen clench, slowly reaching the heavens high above._

_Robin's mouth slowly made its way back to hers and a pinch disappointment grew in Regina's gaze. His Queen wouldn't be like that for long though, he thought. He slid his underwear off, releasing his massive erection. It sprung out and he made his way to the Queen's slick folds._

_Gently setting himself, he thrust into her. She screamed in pure pleasure, her walls tightening around him. His pelvis making slow back and forth movement and then picking up the pace he started to lunge faster and harder. Her back arched naturally, her legs wrapping around his waist allowing him a better access and giving him the chance to thrust deeper into her._

_He slammed against her, each time reaching her sweet spot. She felt herself on the verge of exploding and grabbed his hair in a tight grip causing the poor thief to groan louder._

_Their body danced for a little more until she felt her stomach and her walls clench. The tightening grip around him made him explode into her and she came with him. Loudly. Screaming his name in a lusty whimper._

* * *

She sat in her bed, sweat sticking her messy hair to her forehead. She brought her hands to her face, wiping away the last remaining bit of sleep in her eyes. _I just came… and it woke me up?!_ She was utterly stunned.

Regina blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, and she started chuckling, until she spotted a dark figure standing next to the doors leading to her balcony. Her whole body stiffened in a fraction of second.

A low laugh emanated from the dark silhouette in her room.

"Well, Milady… I see that you now know my name…" said the man as he stepped out of the shadow and into the moonlight.

* * *

**Reviews? How did you like that hot, hot, hot moment? (Did I do well?) ^.^**


	8. An Incongruous Request

**Longest chapter up to now! 3 I can't believe how you guys are amazingly supportive of this story. Thanks again for all your reviews, it's my true motivation! Hope you all enjoyed last night's episode, even though there were only two minutes of Regina screentime and no Robin at all... **

**With no further notice, enjoy. There is a bit of fluff in this chapter (well I think...).**

* * *

Robin had had the castle in his sight in the afternoon of the second day of ridding. He had decided that it would be better for him to sneak into the Queen's rooms at night, and so he had stayed in the shadows, always avoiding the palace's staff and guards.

At night as he searched which window or door could be hers, he had seen the Queen on the balcony of her chambers; he waited for her to get back inside before shooting some sort grapnel attached to a solid rope, which had clung to the railing of her mezzanine. As swiftly as he could the thief started to climb the rope. He had a lot of difficulty climbing the metal structure since there were no proper grip for his feet, but still he had managed it and he sighed once he was where the Queen stood earlier that night.

Knowing she was in the room next door, Robin's heart started fluttering; he took in a huge quantity of the crisp and chilly air of the outside world before exhaling loudly. He then walked on tiptoe into the room expecting the woman he had come back to, to be at the same time, awake or at least getting ready for bed and sound asleep. He sighed, relieved when he noted she wasn't anywhere to be seen…

_What was I expecting, really…? That she'd be here waiting!?_

He was about to walk out and leave when he heard –more than he saw- _his _Queen shift in the bed in the room. His heart started to beat a whole lot faster, and he took a few steps towards her. But he stopped… he stopped when he heard her gasp and moan. He could see her grasp the bed sheets tightly, her back arched, her eyelids fluttering and her legs moving underneath the silk blankets.

The soft panting of the Queen was turning the thief's lower member to rock. He was so incredibly turned on by this unexpected outcome… He had come here to see her; true, but he also wanted to thank her for what she had done for him.

He hadn't envisioned walking on the Queen while she was having a –let's say it- pretty hot and vivid dream. He suddenly felt so awkward standing there, he felt a bit creepy but then as he was walking back to where he had come from she had an orgasm. A fulgurate one, and Robin's only thought as he heard her scream a name was that he'd love to make her come like that.

And that's when he realised he already had. Something in his mind clicked and he understood. He understood she had screamed **_his_** name. A smirk was plastered to his lips as he slipped back into the shadows.

He watched the bed as the Queen shifted and sat up in it, sweat covering her body, making it glisten in the pale moonlight. He saw her look all around her and then chuckle until her eyes locked on him. He thought of oh so many comments he could make to her as he walked up to her, but he decided upon a witty remark that could have been qualified as his signature… And he started to laugh about it.

"Well, Milady… I see that you now know my name…"

* * *

Her eyes narrowed until they formed only two thin slits. He was there, he had heard and he was coming towards her…

"Shit!" she mumbled to herself as she tentatively tried to gain back a bit of composure.

She hoped he couldn't see how disturbed she was. Regina took a deep breath and as usual she slipped into one of her famous mask.

"What are you doing in my chambers, _thief!_" she roared, adding a bit too much of venom on the last word of her sentence.

He stopped moving. She couldn't properly see his face, but she instinctively knew that the smirk he had while laughing was now gone from his handsome features.

"I came here to thank you for saving my boy's life…" he said coldly and then his voice trailed off as he spoke the rest of his sentence, in a softer tone, almost to himself, "…and to see you."

His gaze fell upon his hands, he played awkwardly with them, and he almost looked like a child caught trying to steal a cookie from the jar before dinner. It made her smile for a second, made her want to hold his hands and tell him that she was happy he came back. Obviously she didn't, instead she brought her hand up and used her magic to get him to his knees.

_You're screwing up again, dearie. It's like you never learn from your mistakes._

She waved her other hand in front of her face, as if she could make the small impish voice in her head disappear.

"Well _outlaw_, I am flattered you came all the way up here just for that, but you entered here uninvited!" _and while I was clearly busy…_ she ended for herself.

"I am oh so sorry for that your _Highness,_ but it seems entering through the front doors of your castle is like saying that you have a death wish…" he sassed, glaring at her with icy blue eyes.

She nodded, shrugged at what the thief just said and barely repressed a small laugh. Then she dropped her hand and the grip she had on the thief's shoulders disappeared, allowing him to stand up –although he didn't. She threw the covers over, revealing her stunning black lace nightgown and her soft looking legs that she flew across the bed and towards the man's body; almost hitting him with her toes. She stood up and circled him, scrapping her nails from one shoulder to the other. He shivered under her touch.

She grasped him by the shoulders, digging her nails into his shirt, lowering herself until her head was next to his left ear until he could feel her breathing down his neck.

"Very witty…" she whispered, sending chills down his spine.

He nodded incapable of saying anything; her proximity was intoxicating, her sweet and singular scent of apples… _and cinnamon,_ took his breath away.

He closed his eyes, taking in all of her, her touch, her breath, her warmth and her perfume. _So delicious… _he thought. He bit his lower lip as the urge of tasting her lips grew back in the pit of his stomach.

She backed off, took a few steps back and with a flicker of her wrist every single candles in the room were lit, making shadows dance on the walls in a sensual dance.

He missed her touch already.

She walked to the lounger near her fireplace and sat down; he snapped his neck in her direction, not moving –like he was waiting for her to tell him it was okay to get up- he only stared at her. He observed her with the most care, passing over every curve, every inch of her skin and fixing his blue gaze on her face. In the dim light she looked ever so broken, even with her mask of cruel Queen of hell he saw right through her –something he had never been able to do with someone he knew so little-, he saw how tired she looked, the way her whiskey brown eyes stared at nothing with unshed tears pricking in their corner, and mostly he saw how her sadist expression hid a frail young woman afraid of her own self…

He felt his heart sink at the realization that the Queen wasn't actually a monster; all the opposite of it actually –she was like him: heartbroken.

* * *

Robin was still kneeling beside her bed, she knew he hadn't moved and was utterly grateful for it. She didn't want to deal with him being so close to her right now, the effect he had had on her earlier when she whispered in his ear had disturbed her profoundly. She needed time to think.

She took her head in her hands, ruffling her hair with her sharp nails and sighed, exhausted.

After an eternally long silence, she lifted her head up and slowly looked at him over her shoulder.

"Roland… How is he…?" she asked, concern showing in her soft and quavering voice.

She knew he was noting every single of her traits in his mind, she could've felt his gaze on her whole body. She heard him take a sharp breath before he answered.

"Like I said Milady, _you_ saved his life. When I left two days ago, he was already jumping around our camp…" he chuckled lightly at the memory of his young toddler.

Her heart clamped lightly, she knew he would be alright, but she was happy to know for sure that he was better. She thought of the young boy, remembered his sickly pale skin and his dull brown eyes… she thought of how dead he looked like and she didn't want to have this image of him anymore; she wanted to know what he was like alive, she wanted to smile like his father did when he thought of him.

She got up, swaying her hips in the direction of Robin and kneeled beside him.

* * *

The Queen gazed at him; he could notice that her mask had fallen completely. He didn't know why, but he could only imagine that it was a good sign. That she probably wasn't mad at him anymore, that she was opening up. She leaned closer to him and for a second he thought she was about to kiss him, but she stopped her luscious lips a mere inch away from his. Robin could feel her breath ghosting upon his lips.

She opened her mouth to speak, she knew that deep down what she would be asking of him would be a lot –probably too much- and that he would probably refuse her demand…

"Could I meet him?" her dark brown eyes shined bright with hope.

His brows furrowed, he wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he had an idea.

"I… I mean… your boy. I've seen him… before, but…" she stumbled on her words like she didn't know how to speak. Her voice was soft –it almost sounded like the younger version of her, when she was still only that seventeen year old _Regina_. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I've seen him through my mirror. _I also knew you were coming…_ He looked dead… Would you mind letting me see him now?" she finally let out what she truly was trying to say, but she added quickly: "I would understand you saying no… I am the _Evil_ Queen after all…" she blushed and turned away, avoiding eye contact.

The archer was utterly baffled. She had spied on them? The thought brought a smirk to his face. Although he already knew the answer to her question, he would let her see him, he would love for her to see his little Roland –she seemed so concerned about him. But she was also right, she was the _Evil _Queen –even though to him it seemed that the evil moniker was somewhat of an over statement, _bold and audacious_, perhaps but certainly not evil- and bringing her back with him would raise an uprising amongst his men… He looked at her, sternly and carefully choosing his words before saying anything.

In a swift movement he took her chin between his fingers, forcing her delicately to look at him.

"I-… I couldn't… It's not that I would mind my son meeting the woman who saved him… But my men… They would turn on me if I brought back the Queen with me. We're thieves, and most of my merry men don't necessarily appreciate royalty…"

She nodded. _Of course he wouldn't let you near any of his friends… You're a monster, dearie!_ The impish voice in her head was back and for a second she almost believed it. She shook her head and opened her mouth, about to say something, but she closed it again.

She stood up, took a few steps away from her soul mate and a cloud of dark purple smoke took hold around her body, making her completely disappear for an instant.

Robin blinked, when he opened his eyes again the smoke had vanished and before him stood a young peasant woman dressed in rags. Her raven hair floating graciously on her shoulder, she was taller than the Queen and bared much more innocent features. She twirled around, showing off every single angle of herself to the thief.

"What about this? As regal as a potato…" she chuckled and the man before her frowned.

"Your Majesty…?" she nodded, "Well I see you are quite determined." He clapped his hands lightly and grinned. "That will do just fine, your Maje-."

She putted a hand up. "Nothing of that sort will be tolerated. Just call me…" she thought for a second a finger pressed on her now pale plumped lips, "… Rosalie! Or Rose…" The thief nodded slowly accepting the name of the woman standing before him. He knew it wasn't her real name. A name he still didn't knew, but that he was desperate to find out.

Robin finally stood up and gave his arm to the woman, she frowned suspiciously, he gave her a considerate look and she finally wrapped her arm around his.

"Let's go then, Rose."

A cloud of smoke formed around the both of them, Robin took a deep breath, blinked, when he opened his blue eyes he saw the young woman's green eyes looking at him with a spark in them. He took a look at his surrounding; they were almost back to the merry men's camp and his horse was beside him.

He could hear the hysterical laughter of many of his companions, probably already getting themselves drunk over a barrel of ale. He chuckled and started to walk in direction of the noisy band he called his family…

* * *

**As usual please leave a review of how you liked the chapter, or how you disliked it... Let me know what you think will happen next, what you expect of this story or others. Feel free to send me a PM, I will answer it gladly. **

**~I will update my other fanfiction (_Of Flesh and Blood) _soon for those of you who are following/reading it. **


	9. Damsel in Distress, Really?

**Short chapter -well average- but I really wanted to update as soon as possible and I have so much ideas for the rest of the story. I'm so excited! Thank you so much to every single person who took time to review and give feedback on the story, so far.**

* * *

As soon as the men noticed Robin was back, they got up. Some of them nodded, others cheered, but they were all happy to see their leader back at home safe and sound. They didn't really notice the small woman behind him, not until Robin actually stepped aside and introduced her.

"This is Rose." He said glancing towards the Queen. They greeted her with utmost respect. She blushed lightly, even as a Queen people didn't greeted her like that –they didn't greeted her like family, but this band did.

Little John came up to Regina, took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Hello. My name's John. But most men of this festive little band call me 'Little John'." He introduced himself before turning to Robin.

He grabbed his friend by the shoulders and started to walk away. "If you'll excuse me, Milady," said Robin over his shoulder. Regina nodded and as soon as Robin was gone she started to feel incredibly awkward standing there.

She walked towards the fire, sat on the trunk of a fallen tree and looked at the flames dance. She loved fire, so dangerous, so wild, but so fragile at the same time; _just like me_, she thought a small and sad smile on her lips.

"Why're you sad?" a small voice shrieked. A small boy was standing right beside her, not moving a muscle. She smiled at him, she had recognized Robin's little one, even though he looked a whole lot better now.

"I was just thinking…" she said.

"And who are you?" he started to bounce a little, obviously fascinated by the stranger.

"I'm Re-… Rose!"

He held out his hand and smiled. "I'm Roland!"

Regina took his hand and shook it. "Very nice to meet you, Roland."

"I see you've already met my boy." Robin walked back towards the two of them and sat next to the Queen in disguise. She looked at him, her green gaze locking with his blue and she smiled –all teeth out.

Robin preferred the woman's original eye color, it was so much more vibrant, so much more her, and it seemed to carry a lot more stories than this one… Honestly, although he would never say it out loud, Robin preferred the looks of the Queen to any other woman.

Roland climbed onto his father's lap and curled up against his chest. He looked at his father, "Papa! This is Rose!" he smiled dimples forming as his grin widened. His father chuckled. "I know Roland… I know. I brought her here."

His son's brown gaze widened, he was excited. "How d'you meet?!" Robin looked over at the Queen, a glimpse of fear in his eyes meeting the same impression in the woman's gaze. They both hadn't thought it through. They haven't thought about what to say if someone ever was to ask.

Little John came over and sat across the adults –and Roland-, a smirk on his face. "Yeah Robin… How did you two meet?" Everyone's attention turned to the two of them, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of the thief's left temple as he came up with something.

He took a deep breath and look over at Regina, imploring her to stay silent with his eyes. She nodded discretely and he started.

"Well it is quite simple, really…" he took another sharp breath, "I was ridding back to the Queen's-"

"The EVIL Queen!" screamed a drunken companion of Robin's. Regina felt her heart clench – she was used to her nickname, she knew they called her _that_, but she had never seen herself as _evil_, she simply wanted _justice_...

Robin nodded, an apologetic blue gaze staring towards _his_ Queen. "Yeah, now shut up Doncaster and let me tell my story!" he said, with a playful tone. The man shut up and sat down with everyone else around the fire.

"So… yeah, the Queen's castle! I was ridding towards her castle, I had left a whole bag of gold there when I thought I had been discovered and decided to get it back… But then I heard a scream in the death of night." He gestured like he was telling a fantastic story to a bunch of kids. "Grabbing my sword –my bow and arrow already on my back- I jumped off my horse and ran towards the screaming. In the dim light of a fire I saw two silhouettes trying to hold another one on the ground, I realized it must have been bandits so I got as close as I could and drew my bow out. Aiming at the largest man I requested they let her go, they didn't listen so I had to let my arrow sink into the man's body. He fell on the side and Rose," he gestured at her, "ran in my direction. The other –smaller man- ran away, leaving his friend behind."

Robin was breathless; telling this whole lie in one single shot hadn't been that hard.

Most of his companions looked at Robin with awe and even Little John –the most suspicious man in the whole Enchanted Forest- seemed to accept this little story with a proud look upon his face. He got up and gave his best friend a vigorous pat on the back. "That's ma' man!" he laughed.

Roland was over joyed; he looked at Regina and crawled onto her lap. "So that means my papa saved you! He's your knight in shining armor!" He smiled with a big dimpled grin.

Regina ruffled his hair lightly and nodded. "Yes he did. He saved me…" she smiled towards Robin, who was looking over at Little John. _He saved me… from myself, _she thought.

"It's alright. My daddy does that sometimes… He helps people." The little boy yawned, and curled up into Regina's arm tugging on her dress to keep as close to her as possible.

It was getting late as Robin was telling his story, Regina looked around, noticing that the light she thought were the last rays of sunlight, were actually the flames of the fire burning brightly. It was dark now and most of Robin's men had left the surrounding of the fire pit to regain the comfort of their tents.

* * *

"Alright Little John, good night to you too." Robin waved his hand at the large man walking away. The thief turned back to the Queen and his heart sank into his chest when he saw the way she was holding his boy and how he was clinging on to her. She looked at him a small smile on her face and even though it wasn't completely her Robin only saw _his _Queen and his toddler together.

She smirked as he got closer to her. "So… A damsel in distress, really…?" He chuckled.

"The important is that everyone bought it." She approved as Robin glanced at his son. "I should put him to bed."

He tried taking back his boy, but his little grip on Regina's clothes was so strong that without waking him it was impossible to get him to let go. The two remaining adults sighed.

"Well I guess you'll have no other choice but to sleep in our tent… _Rose_." The thief said a grin plastered on his lips.

She smirked. "Is that so, _outlaw_?" She had taken her regal and imposing tone. Robin nodded.

He took one of her hand, as she grabbed on the little boy's body and he dragged her across the camp to his tent. He opened the flappy door of it to let her in and then stepped inside after her.

Regina looked around her, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the candle that sat alone on a small table in the middle of the tent. She could see two beds, one relatively small and the other much more human sized. They were covered in fur and pelts of some sorts; everything to keep the owners of the beds warm at night. She smiled, everything was so rustic; no mattress or things like that, not even a proper roof over their heads, but the outlaw and his son seemed happy about it.

"So I guess I'll give you and Roland my bed, since he doesn't seem quite ready to let go of you, _your Majesty_." He had whispered the last words of his sentence into her ear and she had shivered, hearing his soft accented voice resonate into her soul.

"Well, if you don't mind _thief_, and even if you did. I would still have taken your bed." She grinned at him and walked to the makeshift bed. She sat down on it, placed Roland beside her –forcing him to let go of her- and buried the two of them into the furs.

As soon as they were settled the toddler had wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, burying his face into her chest. She held him tightly as his warm little body rested beside her.

Robin took off his shirt, blew out the candle on the table and sat down on his son's bed, taking off his trousers.

"Goodnight Robin." She said softly, her voice clouded by sleep.

"Goodnight…"

"…Regina." She finished for him.

The name rolled on his tongue, sweet and delicate. _Regina_. He kept repeating it to himself. _A name truly worthy of a Queen_, were his last thought as he drifted into the bizarre realm of dreams.

* * *

**He finally knows her name! Hurray! As always a little review is appreciated. I will be updating this story a little bit more then the other fic I'm writing because I'm in the mood for fluff. There might be a little bonding between Regina and Robin or between Regina and Roland next chapter. (Let me know which one you would like to see most.) But one of them involves someone waking up from a terrible nightmare ;P**


	10. Short-Lived Happiness

**Longest chapter up to know peeps :D I'm really thrilled about this one, hope you'll like it.**

**I'll try posting twice every week -mostly Monday and Friday.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Roland! Wait up!" Regina yelled out of breath, hands falling on her thighs as she took in big gulps of air and steadied her breathing. _For a toddler he sure knows how to run… _she thought._

_Giggles could be heard ahead and the Queen resigned herself, he would not wait and she would have to catch him to make him stop running… She chuckled lightly and started to run once more. She couldn't clearly see in front of her, there was a lot of fog that afternoon and she grew concerned. _

_She stopped once more listening to the sounds of nature; it was all she could hear –no more little boy screaming and laughing… A frown grew on her face as her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed._

_"Roland…?" _

_Nothing…_

_"Roland…!" She started walking a bit faster towards the direction the boy had taken. Her hands falling instinctively on her stomach as her concern grew into anguish and terror. _

_Regina jumped when she heard a twig break on her left. Acting upon instinct, she pooled into herself and drew out the magic she had left behind for a while now. She felt the darkness inside her wake up as it entwined its crooked finger around her soul, its slimy form grasping and digging its nails into her flesh. Then she felt it, the fire burning inside her palm ready to be thrown towards whatever enemy she would be facing. A dimpled face jumped out of the bushes trying to scare the adult he was running from earlier. He screamed a loud "BOO!" and the Queen froze, clenching the fist in which the fireball lay –chocking it and making it disappear from existence. She felt a rush of anger run through her body, shaking her every muscles, she opened her mouth ready to yell at the boy –who was now laughing heartedly- but retracted herself at the last moment. Taking a deep breath the brunette closed her eyes and with a lot of effort tried to chase the disgusting feeling that her inner darkness was producing, she tried pushing away the black tar that was covering her mind's body. It took a few long minutes before she succeeded and through the process she had to constantly remind herself that she was loved and that she didn't need the darkness anymore… _

_When she opened her eyes once more, the four year old was looking at her, a small frown on his face –he looked concerned. _

_"You alright?" he asked, of course by now he knew the young woman in front of him had magic, he had seen her use it before, but he never truly understood the implications of using such kind of magic. The boy started to play with his hands, finding a new interest in them… "Rose?" his voice was nothing but a scared whisper._

_Regina shook her head. _Rose…_ The name she had fallen under still haunted her, only Robin knew who she truly was even after all this time. _You're living in a dream, dearie. Do you really think that his men would accept you if they were to know who you truly are? _The impish voice cackled and echoed in her head. _

_She looked down at the boy, bending down to be at eye level with him, "I'm perfectly fine you see." She smiled a beautiful smile that actually touched her eyes. "Let's get you home to your Papa, now…" She scooped the boy up and started walking back to the merry men's actual camping ground. They had moved a few times since she had arrived, and to a certain leader's demand each time they relocated themselves it was closer the her castle…_

_It was particularly sweet of him, but they had an understanding, she would keep on appearing as the great and terrible Evil Queen, from time to time, and she would live with him as much as he'd like, thus she needed to be close to her castle. She chuckled lightly at the thought that Robin had opposed very little arguments against her proposition. Instead he had grinned and kissed her passionately, while breathing between two kisses something about knowing that she liked to be with him. And it was true, although the first few weeks had been rough on her back, she was now used to it and she loved the people she was surrounded by. She loved hunting with Robin, adored playing with Roland when she had nothing to do, but mostly she loved cooking for a whole group of hungry adult men…_

_"… Papa be back soon?" the voice of the little man she was holding in her arm pulled her out of her reverie. _

_She looked at him, confused, before taking in what he had just said. "Well, it is the afternoon and your father left this morning… I am not certain he will be back until tonight." The boy's expression saddened a bit, but Regina took his chin and tilted his head until her eyes met his. "And since he won't be back until tonight, that means you can help me make dinner." She smiled and so did he. _

_He loved cooking with Rose, actually Roland loved to spend time with Rose and her alone, he felt deeply connected to her, she was replacing the blurry memories of his now deceased mother and she made him happy._

* * *

_Regina and Roland walked into an empty camp, a fire was burning low and not a single soul was to be found. Roland sighed, but as soon as Regina let him down he ran towards the kitchen tent, motioning her to walk faster. The woman smiled fondly and hurried a bit._

_Robin had brought back a small deer that morning before leaving on a raid with his crew and in her corner, Regina had found many different sorts of berries, dandelions leaves –with which she could make a small salad- and some chestnuts. It wouldn't be a King's meal –like usual-, but she would make the most out of it, which was a lot easier when she had magic on her side to help her do many tasks at once. _

_Under Roland's scrutinizing brown gaze, Regina started to skin the deer with a magically floating knife, while she was busy sorting out the dandelions' leaves. As usual the toddler was in awe in front of the woman's magic and like usual he wanted to assault his daddy's friend with many questions about her magical abilities, and usually he bit back every single interrogations he had about the subject, remembering how his father had asked him not to ask anything. But today, the toddler's curiosity took over and he could not do anything against his need for answers. _

_The Queen peaked at him in the corner of her emerald eyes and she chuckled. His jaw hung wide open and his eyes were as round as the full moon. She turned to him, picked him in her arms and sat him on a stool –that magically appeared- right next to her. He stared at her, opened his mouth ready to speak, but he would close it almost immediately. Ashamed of his behavior, he looked away and Regina started to look at him with concern written all over her face._

_"Is there anything wrong Roland?"_

_He shook his head and kept looking down, avoiding her green gaze. She waved her hand, a loud bang resonated in the tent as the knife fell down on the table it was floating above, took the boys chin as she lowered herself to his level, forcing him to look at her. _

_"What is it? You know you can ask me anything, sweetheart." She smiled, encouraging him to speak to her. He resisted for a slight second before sighing._

_"Papa told me not to ask… But…" He stopped for a moment, making sure to formulate correctly in his mind what he was about to say. "Whe- Where does your… magic come from?" the last part of his sentence was said quickly and in a low voice that Regina barely heard it._

_"What was that dear?" she arched an eyebrow and chuckled lightly._

_"Your magic… Where does it come from?" he avoided her gaze and expected her to get angry. He was delighted when she simply stood up and waved her hand in the air._

_A cloud of dark purple smoke formed around her left hand, it was thick and rolled off of her palm, falling on the floor and disappearing into the ground._

_"It comes from within." She smiled at his dazed expression. "I was born with it… It's a form of energy buried deep in me, from which I can draw to conjure powerful things out of thin air…" The young boy nodded as if he understood. Well he did understand, sort of, he accepted the fact that she was born with it, for the rest of what she had said though… it was another story._

_The disguised Queen turned back to the half skinned carcass, once again flicked her wrist lifting the knife from the surface it lay on and started to wave her hand showing the direction she wanted it to take._

* * *

_The flap of the shelter opened while Regina had her back turned to it and was waving her hands around, mixing salad ingredients and chopping meat pieces off the dead animal. Roland gasped and pointed to the intruder, her whole body stiffened as she swiftly turned around –everything freezing in mid-air at the same time- only to be relieved when a tall blue eyed man walked towards her a small grin on his lips._

_"I knew I'd find you two here." His strong accented voice was low as he wrapped his hands around the petite waist of the woman in front of him. His eyes were warm and they instantly locked with hers, he opened his mouth and whispered in her ear. "What if it wasn't me who entered the tent, Milady? How would you explain the flying knife?" He chuckled with evident concern in his tone. _

_She smiled apologetically. "Well it's a part of me I can't deny…" she whispered the last word. "…_thief._" And then grinned. He laughed, he had missed that part of his Queen; the witty, sassy and sarcastic part of her. The part she was presently hiding from every single man in this camp with her gracious smile, her polite attitude and her innocent looks. And although he was thrilled at the mere fact that she had chosen him over most of her duties, he missed her –the real her- the one everyone called a monster, the one who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted… but Robin was way too stubborn to admit it, even to himself._

_The outlaw looked at his son, over the Queen's shoulder. "You had fun today with Re-Rose?" The small boy nodded before climbing down the stool he was sitting on and running towards his dad and Rose._

_"Rose is the best!" he said as his father let go of the woman's waist and lifted him off the ground. When his tiny face was close enough to his father's ear he whispered –as much as a four year old can whisper- "I want her to be me mommy… She makes us happy." Robin blushed, knowing that the woman next to them had obviously heard the child, he looked at her; a smile was plastered upon the face she had chosen to disguise in and a stray tear ran down her cheek. _

_The grown man smiled and whispered in his boy's ear, "That she does, my boy… and I love her for that." _

_Looking back up to the Queen he smirked. "When can we eat? There's a whole bunch of grown men out there with rumbling stomachs that are complaining…" She couldn't help herself but to roll her eyes and giggle. _

_"If your men are as patient as you are, then it should be ready in less than fifteen minutes. I only need to cook the deer's meat…" she arched an eyebrow, "… unless you want to eat it raw."_

_The man's face turned a bit pale as he made a funny/disgusted face towards her. "I think we can wait a little longer…" he then stepped out of the tent, his boy still in his arms, leaving the Queen alone with her thoughts to be her only distraction._

* * *

_She stepped out of the tent barely minutes after Robin, bearing a huge plate of uncooked meat and some sort of pan; the men cheered and raised their glasses to the sight. She chuckled. _What is it with men and meat…? _She thought. She walked towards the fire pit at a rapid pace and was pleased to see that none of them had put more wood into it, leaving only hot burning coals to cook on._

_Approximatively ten minutes after that every man had a small wooden plate filled with three quarter of meat and a quarter of salad. She smiled and sat down next to Robin on the log he was already sharing with his son and Little John. Her plate was filled with the rest of the salad, she looked around her, smiled a bit abhorred at the sight of the crew chomping like animals on the food and her expression must have been truly horrified, because Robin wrapped one arm around her shoulders while laughing. She glanced at him a bit ashamed, leaned on him, her lips next to his ear and said. "What? It's not my fault that the sight of twenty men eating like pigs is repulsing me…" she rolled her eyes at the same time. He turned his head towards her and captured her lips with his in a chaste kiss. _

_"Your Majesty should be used to it by now…" he sassed in a whisper._

_Regina pushed away from him, a vague offended look on her face that immediately turned into a lustful expression. Her sudden change in mood took the thief aback, but he answered her with one of his signature smirk before getting up._

_"Men!" he captured their attention in seconds, "Should I say friends… We celebrate today once more a victory for the people, our fight against royalty and helping the less fortunate is recognized by others. Each day more and more villagers are getting assaulted and killed by unjust beings, let's show them that we are here to protect them and keep them safe from the abuse of nobility!" He glanced towards Regina, a small apologetic smile on his face._

_She knew he meant well, that he only wanted to cheer up his men and that he spoke the truth, although she couldn't help but feel guilty for her people's misery. _

_Many of Robin's friends cheered, some others raised their glasses, and the rest simply yelled with a drunken form of happiness "Death to the Queen! Death to the EVIL Queen!"_

_At those words the Queen felt a sharp pain in the left side of her chest. She brought her hands to her heart, closed her eyes and was thrown back to the horrible nightmare she had had many months before, the one where her true love jabbed a sword right through her chest. Tears pricked the corner of her tight shut eyes; she got up, mumbled a low apology towards Robin and started walking away from the camp._

_As soon as she was out of sight, deep into the woods, she started running. Like her life depended on it. Sorrow was painted upon every single of her features and her vision was blurred by the water threatening to damp her porcelain cheeks. _

What was I expecting! That they'd accept me! They know me, but they don't know I'm the _Evil _Queen_, even in her mind the noun sounded harsh and poisonous._

_Regina ran for a long time, for an eternity even. She stopped when she felt water on her feet. She sat down, in the cold water of the small creek, brought her knees to her chest and flicked her wrist over her head. Taking a deep breath she waited until her dark smoke had cleared from her view before looking into the water. _

_The moonlit surface reflected a young woman; long raven hair falling on her shoulders, bright, sad whiskey gaze looking at herself, defined jawline and luscious lips with a small white scar amplifying her features, giving her a stern but at the same time broken look. Regina was back, after months of hiding, she was herself again, wearing the same nightgown she had when the thief had intruded in her chambers. _

_The water running around her gave her chills, and she took notice of how cold the nocturne air actually was. However, she did not move she kept staring at herself, watching as her tears fell and mixed with the pure water beneath her._

* * *

_The Queen sobbed silently for minutes, maybe even hours, she had lost track of time, when she was disturbed by noises in the woods. Branches moving out of their way and twig cracking under someone's feet as he approached. She glared at the infinite darkness from where emanated the noises but kept quiet._

_"Regina?!" a small, but strongly accented voice muttered._

_With the voice of her soul mate echoing in the wind, her heart sank in her chest and found its place into the darkest pit of her soul. _

_"What do you want _outlaw_?!" she hissed, in a venomous tone that even Snow White had never heard._

_He froze in place when he heard her, then changed his trajectory towards the hissing woman, he knew she was in pain and didn't take her defense mechanism personally. He knew better; knew it was only her way to protect herself. He stepped out of the shadow; moonlight lighting up the way in front of him and dancing on the skin of the woman he loved. She was scared, she was hurt, and her shoulders shook vehemently as shivers assaulted her body, but she didn't move. _

_He took a step closer to her. "Regina… please come back."_

_She huffed. "Why? So I can hear your men proclaim how much they want me dead!" her voice cracked as a sob made its way up her body and tears ran freely down her cheeks. "No matter how much I try! They will never truly know how I am… I walked amongst them for months, helping, doing what's best for them. But if you were to tell them the _Evil_ Queen helped them, they would still want my head on a plate. I'm trying…! So hard, Robin… So hard, to be the person I thought was lost long ago, for you, for your son, for our friends… for me. How can I when all I hear around me is dragging me down? They don't know me, they don't love me… and they never will." She exploded, her walls crumbling around her until there were none and by the same fact allowing Robin to gaze upon the true damages of the woman he already knew was broken._

_He closed the distance between them, stepping into the water, wrapping his strong arms around her shivering body and dragging her out of the water. He let himself fall down on the shore her body on top of his, caressing her back in small soothing circles, ushering her whimpers, but never did he try to stop her from crying; she needed it and so he suffered from the afflictions of a damped shirt. They laid there in the muddy grass until she had quietened. He took her in his arms softly, her head lying in the crook of his neck, her breathing steady but her body still shivering forcefully. _

_The thief walked quickly back to their camp and without a noise brought her back in their little shelter. Most of his men were passed out by the fire or already asleep anyway… _

_He laid her in the furs of his bed –bed they had now been sharing for a few weeks-, but she was still shivering. He took out of his bag one of his clean shirt and started to take off the Queen's light silk garment. He was nervous, he had seen Rose's body many times before… but it never truly was her. This time it was, it was Regina in her full naked glory and she wasn't even conscious… He sighed and took off her nightgown, swiftly sliding his oversized shirt over her frail –and perfect- body. She was still trembling and her lips were an unusual shade of dark purple. He took off his shirt and boots and slid next to her, wrapping his arms around her and warming her. The Queen shifted and her face met the outlaw's chest, she curled up into him grasping him as much as she could, unconsciously grabbing onto him like her life depended on him being next to her. Robin felt a small smile form on the Queen's lips as she melted into his chest. He couldn't help but feel awkward though. It was the real first time he was in bed with the Queen… he had made love to her many times before, but like the previous apprehensions; it was never truly her…_

_However, the outlaw knew his place was by her sides, that she needed him just like he needed her that they were each other's anchors and that as long as they were together nothing could go wrong. _Nothing can go wrong_, were the thief's last thought as he drifted into sleep._

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**As usual let me know what you think of the chapter. It is really motivating me to write and tell me by PM or in a review what you think will happen -or what actually is happening...**

**I have already started to work on chapter 11 and it will probably be ready before Friday. See you then. :P**


	11. Elysian Trip

**Hey! Sorry for the wait I was supposed to post Friday, but I think I'll just post whenever I have time. Hope you'll enjoy this part of the fic -I have no idea where I'm going with this, but I still have a vague idea of it.**

**Anyway here you go enjoy. :P**

* * *

_The next morning Robin woke up to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; his Queen holding tightly onto his waist like he was everything she needed. Her head laid on his heart, one of her leg was wrapped around his and her body melted into his. Knowing she was grabbing him with a stronger grip then last night made Robin smile. He leaned up and deposited a soft kiss into her cinnamon scented hair, and then he slowly enveloped the petite woman with his arm and started to rub, with his left hand, small circles on her right shoulder. Breathing in her perfume, his smile grew wider as he realized he was truly happy with her here –alive and breathing. _

_Regina's head shifted and she nuzzled into Robin's chest. She was surrounded by a foggy haze of sleepiness and Robin's small caresses dragged her out of it. She blinked a few times, before realizing she was cuddled into her thief, her head tilted towards him and her brown gaze met his._

_"Good morning, your Highness." He mumbled as he captured her lips in a loving kiss._

_She smiled into the kiss he gave her and slowly pulled away._

_"Good morning, thief." Her voice was low, hoarse and it hurt when she talked._

_She coughed. Her thief smiled as he whispered in her hair: "Take it easy, love, you had quite the adventure last night…"_

_The Queen looked at him a bit confused as she tried recalling last night's events. She couldn't remember anything; her mind was clouded by a thick purple fog. Robin noticed the look she gave him; he chuckled and began to remind her of what happened… She looked utterly horrified by her behaviour and with a small smile she mumbled a low apology towards her outlaw. He stroked a hand through her long raven hair gently, reassuring her at the same time._

_"You're alive, Milady, and that's what's important."_

_She lowered her head back onto his chest and brought her right hand to where his heart lay, drawing small circles on his torso. Robin tensed remembering the way she had taken out his heart, but as fast as the memory came to him it faded away and he relaxed. She glanced towards him, took in a sharp gulp of air before trying to say anything. The thief caressed her cheek slowly with his thumb and gave her a comprehensive look; he was ready to listen to everything she had to say._

_"Thank you Robin…" she whispered, "I mean… for looking for me and bringing me back here… It means the world to me."_

_He smiled, kissed the crown of her head and looked at her. The look in his eyes sent shivers down Regina's spine, it made her understand. Seizing everything that was left unsaid, his love, his concern, his worries, and mostly how much he cared about her… Her eyes filled with tears –of joy-, the face of Robin blurred and as she blinked they rolled down her cheeks. Her soul mate leaned up and kissed away the trails left by the tears. She shifted until she found herself on top of him, chest to chest, their breathing in perfect harmony. She gazed at him, smiled and pressed her lips against his, locking them in an ardent kiss. Robin's head tilted to deepen the kiss, but Regina had other intentions, she started to nibble on his lower lip, tugging and licking it eagerly. After a playful minute, she finally let Robin open his mouth and their tongues met as they started to fight, until they found the rhythm they were both looking for, installing a slow dance between them. They were passionate. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she moved a bit to straddle her lover. His hands grasped her hips, over the large shirt she was wearing and helped her get seated. They broke the kiss after a few minutes, they both were out of air, but both of them were smiling like idiots._

_Regina's smile turned into a lustful smirk, her hands traveled on the thief's chest, scrapping her nails against his skin and leaving pinkish marks. He winced but kept smiling, it didn't hurt him –it turned him on, dangerously. The Queen leaned forwards and captured his lips once more as she kept caressing him. Robin was the first to break the kiss; he had something else in mind. His hands tugged hastily on the Queen's shirt, brought it over her head and threw it somewhere in the shelter as soon as it was off her body. Then his mouth headed towards her jawline, leaving a trail of soft wet kisses along the way, he traveled down her neck where he found the pulsing vein he was looking for. He sucked, nibbled, bit and licked it, causing Regina to gasp, moan and sigh. Her heart rate considerably accelerated as she got more and more turned on. Robin continued his journey down her neck, fell on her collarbone; biting into the flesh and leaving marks, he resumed going down tracing his tongue against his Majesty's goose bumped skin until he found the valley between her breasts. _

_Regina gasped, jerked her head backwards and arched her back. "Robin…" she murmured._

_He groaned against her skin. His hands caressed her thighs, heading towards her arse slowly and then ended in the small of her back, giving him the chance to pull her closer to him. He pressed on her skin gently to keep her close as she squirmed under his touch. His mouth found its way to one of her breast, drawing soft patterns on it with kisses. He found her nipple; he nibbled, bit and sucked on it, until it was hard under his tongue's touch. She moaned softly, her eyes closed and her head still backwards. He couldn't help but smile at the quiet noises emanating from his love's mouth._

_Still holding her in place with one hand, the other made its way to her other nipple, caressing it and massaging it in lazy circles. Regina's mind was clouded with lust and desire, and she couldn't think straight. Her hands roamed on the outlaw's body and found their way into his hair, ruffling them until Robin made a slight change in his motion, resulting in her moaning a bit louder and grasping a fistful of his brown hair in her hands. Robin yelped, but continued his work. _

_He took his time, working her out, torturing her slowly and building up her desire. Regina wasn't really the hearts and flowers kind of lover and she didn't like to take it slow, Robin knew that, but this morning was going his way and she seemed to enjoy it. He caressed her back with his hand as he shifted their position; she now laid under him and he was holding himself over her with his forearm. The hand he had on her breast traveled down her thigh and grabbed her ass firmly. She moaned in delight, this was sensational and it was the first time that she was enjoying slow vanilla sex. _

_"Is everything to your liking, your Highness?" Robin sassed between two kisses on her breast. She only found the strength in herself to moan a low "yes!" in response. He smirked. _

_His fingers trailed towards the apex of her thighs, but then started heading down as soon as he heard the Queen gasp in anticipation, teasing her to her limits. He let go of her nipple and trailed soft kisses down her belly, stopping at her navel and tracing a circle around it, before heading down and stopping right on the top of where she needed him. _

_She sighed in frustration. "Robin… please." Her voice was low and husky, pleading him to do what she asked._

_He chuckled, but refused to go further, teasing her mercilessly by kissing the inside of her thighs near her sweet forbidden fruit. Her hands still in his hair, she pulled on them forcing him to get where she needed him most. He raised his head slightly._

_"Impatient are we, your Majesty?"_

_She groaned and glared at him, her frustration palpable. "Shut up thief and do what I ask." She hissed a bit too harshly._

_Robin chuckled louder. He brought his hand to her apex and started to work his magic on her. He still deposited small bites/kisses all around her thighs, while his thumb was motioning lazy circles on the little bundle of nerves that could drive the Queen insane. She panted, her breathing becoming jerkier as she felt her climax coming closer. He started to rub faster, until his tongue replaced his thumb, flickering in swift and rapid up and down motions. Regina let out a small cry, her back arching even more as her head sank deeper into the bed's furs._

_"Look at me, Regina." Robin asked his voice low and guttural._

_She tilted her head back up, opened her fluttering eyes and saw the usually deep blue eyes, now dark and greyish as they were clouded by a fog of lust and desire. She gasped; his gaze was intense and seemed to burn deep into her soul. He smirked as his head sunk back between her legs, which she wrapped over his shoulders, locking her ankles together. Her moans grew louder, more frequent and insistent. He groaned, his lips sealed on her clit as he sucked harder. _

_"More…" she breathed, imploring her thief to go faster, harder and harsher. _

_The thief smiled as his hand made its way slowly up her thigh, reaching for her entrance. Teasing her, he gently passed his fingers near her; she gasped, and released a breath she did not know she was holding. Robin's tongue worked its magic and the now loud noises that emanated from the Queen confirmed it was pleasurable. After few tortuous minutes, he finally slipped two fingers inside her, thrusting fast and deep and always hitting her sweet spot. She groaned, her back arched in an unnatural way, her eyes closed tightly and she screamed. _

_She sensed her body sinking into oblivion; she could still feel the outlaw's nimble fingers inside her, but she was lost. The usual sensation of pure ecstasy and joy was fading away slowly, as she opened her eyes, everything around her was blurry and instead of climbing up cloud nine, she felt like she was stuck in a tar pit. She glanced at the thief slowly and as she came down from her orgasm, she could notice the waves of magic emanating from her. Thick and dark, it rolled off her and onto the ground creating a purple fog in the tent. Regina could see the outlaw's gaze on her and she was terrified. Terrified he might think she was a monster, that her magic was dangerous and that she was out of control… Although it was out of control, with him her magic always was, and now that she had her body back, it was even worst. _

_She sat up and he did the same, he shuffled closer to her, -wrapped an arm around her and rubbed small circles on her shoulder. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and whispered in her ear. "It's alright, love, we'll take it easy from now on…" She smiled sheepishly and he placed his head in the crook of her neck. _

_The cloud of dark smoke had lifted, but Regina was still unhinged. Her magic had never done that to her before; it had never took over her when she was conscious… It used to happen when she was younger and still learning, that while being asleep she had conjured things in her chambers, all because her magic wanted to be set free, but it had never set itself free like that before... It had never formed a thick mist of desire and lust around her. Moreover, even though Robin did everything he could to reassure her, she knew something was not right with her. Something was utterly wrong and the fact that she could not pin point it annoyed her deeply…_

_After several hours of curling up into each other, Robin had fallen asleep holding on tightly to the petite woman's waist. His breathing was steady, his chest heaved slowly and Regina could feel his heartbeat resonate into her own body; it was strong and reassuringly calm. A smile pricked the corner of her lips as all the fibers of her body were begging her to fall asleep next to him, but she was afraid. She did not want to endanger anyone's safety by sleeping. The Queen was not completely sure her magic wouldn't be set loose and do damages even worst then a fog of pure dark magic. So she resolved into not sleeping, taking a walk would probably be better…_

_She sighed, slipped out of Robin's embrace and got up, dressing herself with one of his shirt and a pair of trousers she could find. Her magic enveloped her as she regained the feature of the woman she had been portraying. The brunette opened the flap of their shelter and stepped into the light. Many of her love's friends greeted her, she absent mindedly nodded at them and continued walking towards the woods. Her head was spinning, her ears were ringing loudly and her vision was clouded by her magic. _

This should not be happening, _were the Queen's last thought as she drifted into unconsciousness._

* * *

_The woman yelped, she stopped in her tracks and looked around. She was now fully aware of her surroundings, a thick branch had just slapped her face and bringing her hand up she could feel it had drawn a bit of blood. She was in a hurry, her chest was heaving rapidly, she was out of breath, but couldn't remember why…_

_She heard a scream, it called to her and so she ran towards it. As she caught up to the screams, she could now see small figure that was running in front of her. Roland. She tried to catch up to him, but he was too fast and she kept on tripping. He knew these woods better than she did after all… _

_"Roland! Wait!" she yelled and he turned around._

_His gaze was full of hatred and pain, his eyes were red and swollen and dried tears could be seen on his cheeks. He slowly stopped running and walked towards her._

_"Why! WHY!?" he spat at her venomously. _

_The Queen froze into place; she could not understand what the boy was asking. She crouched and tried to pull him into a tight hug, he pulled away, screaming louder than ever. _

_"DEATH TO THE EVIL QUEEN!" were his words as he started to run again towards his father's camp. _

_Regina was shocked, but she still managed to follow the young boy. Soon enough, her lungs filled with smoke and she had difficulty breathing. Her cinnamon eyes burned and she could distinctively smell the familiar odor of burning flesh. The Queen's stomach clenched as she tried to repress her envy of vomiting, she had to find Roland first. She ran for an eternity before stepping out of the tree lines and into the small clearing, the merry men had set camp in. _

_The horrors that she saw brought tears to her eyes. Everything was burning, every tent –except hers and Robins- were burnt to ashes, and many corpses lied on the ground their eyes opened with a dead expression of fear plastered upon their features. The Queen did not notice the hole in their chest at first; she did not acknowledge their lack of heart, she simply kept on going until she was in front of the shelter she had shared with her love and his son._

_She slipped into it and saw Roland's small figure curled on his papa's lap. He lay on the ground, not moving and Regina started to panic. She rushed to him, kneeled down beside him, tears started to roam down her face as she tried to muffle a sob mixed with a loud and desperate cry. He was dead, his warm blue eyes were cold and the light in them was extinguished. She looked over at the small whimpering figure next to her he must have been devastated. _

_"What happened? Roland… Answer me." She said sharply. He glanced at her and took a deep breath._

_"You happened! You killed them all! ALL OF THEM! My family, your family…" his voice cracked and a sob echoed into the small tent._

_She shook her head, refusing what the boy said, she couldn't have... It was not her anymore… Then her whiskey brown gaze fell on her hands, they were bloody and ashes covered the drying patches of crimson liquid. Her mind brought back flashes of the previous hours, and the atrocities she had perpetrated flashed before her eyes. Roland was right; she had torn out every single man's heart out and had tortured them until they had surrendered their last breath. She had dug her nails into Robin's neck until his throat bled and until he choked on his own blood. She fell down on his chest, screamed and kissed his cold lips in an ultimate attempt to bring her love back._

_"No… Robin!" she whimpered endlessly._

* * *

Roland woke up in a hurry and went to his father shaking his shoulders; Robin woke up in the next few seconds. His eyes wide opened, he looked at his little boy, and his eyes went from him to the Queen lying on his bed. Even in the darkness, he saw how her face was twisted in a hideous scowl, he got to his feet –forgetting his lack of trousers- and ran to her. He sat on his knees, grabbed her, forcing her body onto his lap and slowly shook her. She was whimpering some endless apologies towards someone and it sounded much like she was talking to his son, "I'm sorry… I… dead… Robin… Roland, I'm sorry." The thief couldn't understand any of it, but it didn't matter, she had to wake up from this nightmare. He shook her shoulders with more force, and she started to pound her fist on his chest, now screaming. He leaned forwards and kissed her forehead softly, whispering in her ear _that he was all right it had only been a dream._

She sprung up and her forehead met with Robin's lower jaw, they both yelped, as Regina opened her eyes slowly taking in the people in the room. She was back in their tent, Roland was there and he looked worried, but most importantly Robin was alive, he was holding her tightly and he was kissing her lips with passion and sweetness. She broke the kiss to look at him; she cupped his face with both hands and locked her gaze with his. His deep blue eyes were shinning with anguish and uncertainty, the Queen couldn't help but smile, his eyes were full of life, he was full of life… It had all been a horrible dream. She sighed, relieved and he kissed her once more, whispering in her ear sweet nothings.

Roland came up to them and hugged them both in his tiny arms. He looked at the Queen and her thief and said, "Don't scare me again like that."

The Queen nodded. "I won't Roland, I promise."

She looked at the boy with fond eyes and although she was relieved it had only been a dream, she dreaded the dysfunction of her magic.

* * *

**So do you now understand the italics? :P Leave a little review, a PM if you feel like it, and don't forget to favorite if you liked it. **

**~I will try to update my other fic soon too. Eumh plus if you're interested I am now offering my beta services. ^.^**


	12. Back Where We Belong

**Here it finally is! I should say I'm sorry for making you all wait, but I'm not. I had no inspiration and was too stressed out by my finals that I didn't have time to do anything for this fic. Some of you might say 'Well you beta-ed some fics...' and nag, and it's true, but it's easier for me to improve someone's already written words instead of coming up with my own... But anyhow, the next chapter is here and it's going to be quite nice, full of drama (god I love drama...) **

**Without any further notices, here you go and enjoy, my dears.**

* * *

Roland climbed onto Regina's lap, curling his tiny body in the space between his father and the woman he held in his arms. The boy had grown instantly attached to the peasant woman and she had scared him very much with her nightmare, so he held up his little hand and started running it into her dark locks. She shivered at the touch, but didn't remove herself, which Roland thought was a good thing… Her head was lying on his papa's chest and one of his hands was tracing soothing circles on her back. The toddler knew this technique very well; it was the same his daddy used on him when he woke up in the middle of the night frightened –by a noise or a nightmare too.

He glanced at his father, his face was still disfigured by a concerned scowl and so Roland made it his duty to raise his father's spirits up a bit.

"It's alright papa… she's calm now. She's alright." He grinned in the dark of their tent.

Robin looked down at his son and smiled, "yeah, that she is…" his voice was filled with hope, but also with heavy apprehension. He wondered for an instant if she had often woken up like this in the past, wondered if she was always so vulnerable in her sleep… He felt sorry for her, he wanted to hold her closer to him and never let her go, wanted to be by her side and protect her no matter what, but even though his heart was telling him it was the right thing to do, an annoying little voice –he could've called his conscience- reminded him painfully of her true identity. She couldn't stay with him indefinitely and one day she'd have to go back and rule (more like terrorise, but hey!) her kingdom.

A loud yawn took the outlaw away from his thoughts and he glanced at his son once more. "Go sleep on your bed my boy, you're tired and you need rest."

Roland wanted to resist, argue he wasn't tired and that he wanted to stay by the two adults' sides, but another yawn reduced his credibility to ashes, he pulled himself from the warm bodies embracing him and like a big boy he tucked himself in, falling asleep almost instantly.

The thief never looked away from his boy as he made his way to his tiny bed; a smile was plastered upon his lips as he considered how fast his four year old had grown up. He sighed softly and the movement his chest produced as he inhaled the air necessary to sigh made the Queen shift on his laps. She moaned –more like a slight groan- and fisted the thief's shirt tightly, holding him as close as she could, like he was the only thing holding her here. He knew, with her slow breathing and the steady thump of her heart against his chest that she was back to the lands of dreams. He muffled a yawn as best as he could, Robin wasn't ready to let her go, wasn't ready to leave her all on her own. What if she woke up screaming again? He was so scared for her, he wasn't quite sure why he cared so much (just like he didn't understand every single thing she had done for him) but he did and that was all that mattered… and so he gave up the idea of sleeping, ready to protect her if she should ever need it.

However, a couple hours later he succumbed to the temptations of sleep and fell on his back, still holding Regina tightly against him, covered them both with furs and drifted into sleep. So much for staying alert for what was left of the night…

* * *

The Queen woke up to the sound of birds singing in the trees next to Robin's tent. She lifted herself on her elbows, opening her eyes slowly and taking in the 'room' around her. She was a bit confused until she remembered why she wasn't waking up in her castle; the sight of a sleeping Roland in a bed nearby, tugged on a string in her crippled heart. She smiled, rolled to her side, fell down onto the bed and realized she had spent the night with her body on top of Robin's. She froze on the spot. A wave of fear mixed with a considerable amount of confusion and a pinch of panic assaulted her. She jerked away and got to her feet immediately. Her sudden movements alerted the sleeping thief, who woke up in a split second and sat up in the bed, ready to fight anything. His gaze drifted all around the room, suddenly locking on her, realizing there was no _real_ threat. He smiled, revealing sweet dimples as he did, and as soon as he noticed the horrified look on Regina's face it disappeared. Confusion spread on his face and his eyes grew concerned once more.

"Is everything alright, Milady?" he spoke in a raspy voice, still heavy with the remnants of sleep.

"Alright?!" she snapped as she paced in front of him. Her hands were fisted on her hips. "Alright… he asks. How could it be alright! I've woken up curled on a man I barely know, who is only wearing a pair of UNDERPANTS!" her last words were spoken on a lower octave but it was powerful enough to startle the sleeping toddler and force him to wake up.

"Keep your voice down… Please." Robin tried to usher the frantic woman, but she would have none of it.

"_You_ are not about to tell me what to do, _thief_." She spat the words like venom into his face. "Why are you in your underwear?"

She paced in a quicker motion and sighed. "Never mind, I don't want to know…"

It was evident she was fuming with rage, but there was also a big dose of panic starting to eat at her guts and she felt suddenly trapped. She needed to escape from here, from all this happiness, from the embrace -she lingered for- of _her_ thief.

"I never asked you to soothe my dreams! I never asked you anything! I DON'T EVER WANT YOU TO BE NEAR ME AGAIN!" she hissed in his direction, completely ignoring the terrified little boy hiding behind the pelts he used as bed covers.

"Well nothing is holding you back, your _Majesty_." His tone was sharp and filled with a coolness, even he wasn't aware of.

"Then I'm leaving!" she turned around swiftly and walked out the tent.

"Fine!" were the last words she heard as the flap of the shelter closed behind her.

She walked as far as she could from the tent and waited until she was sure no one would hear or see her, before she started to let her impenetrable mask crack. It crumbled to her feet –metaphorically speaking- and tears pricked the corners of her emerald green gaze. She unsuccessfully tried to blink away her sadness, but it only made it worst. Her cheeks were quickly damped with salted water and her vision was blurred by the tears still in her eyes.

She walked away from the camp, as fast as she could. Not once did she look back, and not once did she think about using magic to teleport herself back 'home'. She didn't really want to leave, but she had felt trapped. She had felt happy, the anger that weighted her down seemed to fade away and she had panicked…

* * *

Regina was unsteady on her feet, her knees felt weak and she stumbled a few times, before she fell on the ground and scrapped her hands, forearms and shins against the hard rocky ground. It wasn't soft and full of dirt, like the average forest ground, this one was hard and cold, almost frozen by the night's coldness. And it hurt when she fell on it. The woman cursed a few times as she tried to get back to her feet and keep walking. She wobbled a bit and fell back on the uncomfortable soil.

She sighed heavily as she resigned herself. Her body refused to carry her any further and she would probably die out here in the woods. Her thoughts were a bit melodramatic at the moment…

She looked around, the sun started to pierce through the thick leaves and branches, coloring her surrounding with beautiful shades of green. She squirmed against a fallen tree trunk, let her head fall against it and closed her eyes. The sunlight danced on her closed lids, the sound of running water faint in the distance and the smell of forest were invading her.

"I could stay here… and starve to death." She sighed, "Yeah, that'd be nice. A slow and painful death for the woman who killed hundreds…" she chuckled ironically and her shoulders slumped after a moment.

The tears were not running down her cheeks anymore, but there was a lump stuck in her throat, and her whole body was shivering. She couldn't understand why, it wasn't like she was cold or anything… Bringing her knees to her chest she held onto them, her face pressed against them, eyes closed and mouth opened, trying to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. _You could've been happy dear… _a feminine yet stern voice in her mind scowled at her, it seemed to have crawled out of the darkest corners of her mind. _It's unfortunate that only good get a chance at having a happy ending though…_ Her eyes shot open in a second. How dare it torture her like that? _But I'm not torturing you dear, I'm your conscience I guess... Thought you'd know that by now… _The Queen huffed. Of course, she would be the only person to actually torture herself and by the same fact refuse her own happiness…

In a moment her body had been filled with anger, as she heard the voice she dreaded the most –_her own_-, but now it was replaced by despair. She and she alone, had ruined everything with the kind thief and his lovely little boy.

"Oh… no, Roland…" tears filled her vision once more as she was brought back to the scene she had made in the tent. She had been very loud and terrifying, and on the spot she hadn't noticed the boy's reaction, but now that she was able to play it back in her mind, she saw. Saw him tucked under his blankets, sobbing lightly as to not disturb her rage. She brought a hand to her mouth and tried to muffle a sob that was creeping its way to the outside world. "Poor Roland… I… he's…" her shoulders were assaulted by violent shakes as she tried to contain the sounds that were desperately trying to escape her lips.

Hours passed and Regina was still attempting to get herself together when she heard the familiar noise of cracking twigs and brushing leaves. Someone's coming, she thought, but didn't even bother to hide. What good would it do anyway…?

* * *

Robin couldn't believe it, after hours of soothing his frightened little boy, Roland had still managed to make him feel guilty and force him to go out in the woods to find her. And so that's where he was, searching in the enormous forest a psychotic woman who had the ability to teleport herself whenever she wanted to… He huffed, frustrated, he knew he wouldn't find her, she was probably already in her palace plotting against him to take every single of his men down.

"I should be with my men; we should be packing and moving right now! I shouldn't be looking for a psychopath in the bloody forest!" he was muttering –quite loudly- to himself as he tried to temper his rage.

His once graceful and silent movements were now heavy and noisy as he stepped on every twig he could find under his feet.

"Hell with this woman! She's completely insane…" _but she's also the only one to actually make you feel something since Marian. _He swore. May this little voice in his head be damned, for it was right. And that was the true reason he was out here trying to find her… He didn't want to leave her on her own, he had seen the violence of her nightmares and he didn't want to be the source of another one of them. He cared too much to let that happen.

He called her name softly, repeatedly. He had the feeling she was near, like he was drawn towards her position and when he heard the muffled cries of a woman carried by the wind blowing his way, he knew he had been right. As he strolled closer and closer to the noises, he felt the anger in his heart lift and fly away, automatically replaced by relief.

"Regina." He called her once more when he was able to see a dark mop of hair, with knees tucked to her chest, resting upon a fallen tree.

As he stepped closer, his senses were invaded by a strange feeling. And even though he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, he knew it was coming from his Queen's magic. It wasn't rippling off her body, but it was in the air, making it thick and almost unbreathable. His skin was burning, his lungs were on fire and each step he took only seemed to make it worst.

"Regina… look at me, please." He begged her since he couldn't move any closer for fear he would burst into flames.

Her head lifted from her knees, but she refused to look at him as she spoke. "What do you want, thief?" her tone lacked the same poison it had earlier. "Can't you just leave me alone to die…?" her true body and mind seemed tired even with the shape shifting spell she was wearing. It seemed that Robin was able to see just pass that and see how truly affected she was by all this.

"No. I can't leave you on your own…" He took a step closer and the tip of his boot blackened as if it had been burned. "Damn it that was my favorite pair of boots, Regina…" He took another step and his other boot ended up just like the other. "Now if you would mind controlling yourself, I'd like to step closer…"

That last remark made the Queen finally look at him, her viridian gaze was watery as it locked itself to the ocean blue of Robin's. She sighed loudly, her eyes flickered purple for an instant and the air was finally bearable. It wasn't tense and dangerous anymore; however it was still burning against Robin's flesh.

"Thank you." She nodded as he closed the distance separating him from her.

He sat next to her, at least five inches away to give her space, and waited for an eternity, giving her the time to actually get use to his presence before he spoke again.

"If you'll excuse my curiosity… what was all this morning about?" he looked at her perfect porcelain profile while she was trying to think of an appropriate answer.

"It was…" she sighed, took a deep breath and mustered enough courage to finish her sentence. "I am not very good with people… I lack what you could call… 'People skill'." A small smile seemed to peak at the corner of her mouth as she made quotation marks with her hands.

"I see… How come you're a monarch then? Wouldn't it require that specific skill?"

She chuckled. "Have you seen my kingdom recently? It's a mess…" she spoke with her heart; it seemed she was too tired to actually find some biting remark to throw his way or to even try and lie to him. "… I've slaughtered entire villages for the sole purpose of finding my ex-husband's grown up brat." Her words were bitter, and as she spoke her eyes turned a deep shade of amethyst and the air around them seemed to turn sour. It left a strange taste in Robin's mouth each time he breathed in (but at least he didn't feel like he was on fire from the inside out), and he took it as a cue to change the subject.

"Regina-…" he started, but she cut him off.

"Why are you even here?" her tone was sharp, but not in the slightest meant to be harsh.

_Would you believe it's because I actually care about you!? _He thought.

"Roland wanted to be sure you were alright, he was worried and so was I." Her head snapped towards him and her eyes scanned every inch of his features, searching for any hint of a lie.

"Really…?"

She sounded so dumbfounded; it actually hurt Robin's heart. He scooted closer to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and her head found its way to his chest. "Really." He pressed her against him a bit more as one of her hand lay on his heart. "He cares about you… it's the first time I see him get attached to someone so quickly, in fact."

Robin deposited a soft kiss on her head and she pressed against him even more –if it was possible, taking in all the heat of his body. Her eyes were closed and she felt safe again.

* * *

She allowed herself to revel into his touch for mere minutes, until she came to her senses. She pushed herself back up and gazed upon Robin's sweet face, a saddened look upon her face.

"This…" her voice cracked as she desperately tried to find the courage to say what she had to. "This. It can't be… We _cannot_ be."

The thief eyes were filled with incredulity. He could not believe she would say that, he knew how much she wanted it as much as he did, and he simply couldn't find it in himself to understand why she was pushing him away.

"Regina." She shook her head vigorously and jerked away from his embrace.

"No. Please don't. Just… leave. Let me go back to my _evil_ ways: my need for revenge, my psychopathic behaviors and my mad desire to see Snow White's head on a plate…" her eyes were filled with tears once more as she formulated out loud all the darkness she had tried to deny for so long. She was insane and saying it aloud made her come to grip with it; accept it. "Let me be the Evil Queen everyone wants to see dead and let me bring upon every single living soul the despair I feel inside myself…" she chocked on her sobs and turned her face away from him. She musn't appear weak; even though it was obviously too late.

"No. Regina, listen to me." He out-stretched his arm and with his forefinger grabbed her chin and tilted it until he could stare into her soul. "I can't, it's selfish I know, but I can't let you leave. I don't want you to leave. Even though _you_ think you are _evil_, I don't, and I won't tolerate you thinking so badly of yourself." He spoke every single word with such fondness it made Regina's heart clench. "You are not lost anymore, and even if you feel like such, I won't give up on you… ever."

The outlaw couldn't believe how attached to her he had grown in these last few days. A mere week ago she had tried to control him and rip out his heart, but he guessed that was exactly what had made him fall for her. He had seen her at her worst and now he could only be surprised by her excess of kindness…

He stared at her for a few minutes, gazing upon her features, fiercely trying to see past her spell and see the woman he actually wanted to see so badly.

Regina's mind was rumbling, she could not begin to process everything he had admitted. It was too much. He would not let her go away and he would not let her go back to being evil… Her eyes searched his deep blues and she smiled, an enamored look upon her face, and he smiled back with the same intensity.

"There it is. That elusive, but satisfying smile I think about every time I close my eyes…" he spoke gently, his accented tone brushing off Regina's sharp edges. She blushed, but never did she stop looking at him.

The fingers he had under her chin lifted up slowly, cupping the side of her face, caressing her features until it found its place on the nape of her neck. He leaned in with precocious motions, and deposited a soft kiss on her plumped lips.

It didn't last long. It left the Queen wanting more. She brought her hands to his face in a swift movement, leaned once more into him and pressed her mouth to his, kissing him with a fiery passion that actually startled the thief. He tilted his head a bit, her lips parted, but their tongues never met for he was too busy nipping at her lower lip to care about anything else. The taste of her was delicious, but it wasn't quite the same as it had been in the castle.

Regina noticed, somehow, and she broke the kiss. The thief was left panting against her skin, trying to muster something to tell her.

"I know it's not the same for you, Robin…" his eyes opened, as they had previously snapped shut, and he looked at her confused by her using his given name.

"No… I don't mind at all." He tried.

"But you do, I can feel it. In the way you kiss me." And as she spoke her final words, magic surrounded her forming a thick of fog around her.

It was soon dissipated by the blowing wind and there she was. The Queen, in her full glory, dressed with only a thin layer of black satin and lace. He took all of her in and he could not repress the groan that escaped his lips. She shivered at the sound and scooted closer, leaning in his arms as she tentatively tried to steal a kiss from him once more… a kiss that he was glad to give back to her, with equal force and passion. This time the kiss led to as ferocious dance of their tongues, sliding, colliding and shifting with one another. They savoured the taste of each other; his mouth was sweet, like honey and hers tasted like the dripping juice of a fresh red apple.

Regina surprised herself by smiling into the kiss as she reveled in the taste of her very own _Prince of Thieves_.

They broke apart after a few minutes; their breathing was heavy, their chest heaving quickly as they tried to steady their rhythm, and their foreheads colliding in a gentle and loving motion. She looked at him through her thick and dark lashes. God he was handsome!

His hands slid down and settled on her thin waist as she found her way in his sable hair. He pressed her against him, annihilating the remnants of space that was between them, leaving only their clothes as a barrier. She gasped, surprised and amused at the thief's bravery. It seemed only a week ago she was about to kill him for intruding in her home, and now she was pressed against him waiting for him to take her entirely.

Robin saw the anticipation in her face, the cloud of lust and desire that clouded her now-back-to-normal whiskey gaze, he smiled (all teeth out) knowing his next words were about to be as disappointing for her as they would be for him…

He drew closer to her ear, not missing the opportunity to nip at her lobe and draw a soft moan from her mouth, before he whispered in her ear.

"Not here. If I am to take you, I want to do it properly. I don't want you to feel like you are being used for sex and that only. I want to bed you, like the Queen you are and make you feel loved…"

She sighed loudly, almost pouting when his face drew away and he was back to facing her. He laughed, moved away, got to his feet and gave her his hand. She accepted it gladly, the Queen still wasn't entirely sure she could stand on her own two feet alone, and got up.

"Now let's go back to camp Milady. I believe there is a little boy waiting for you there, to whom you owe an apology." She smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"I believe I do." They started walking slowly and she flicked her wrist, putting her shape shifting spell back in place.

* * *

**As usual leave a review, I appreciate it very very much. Fav, follow and what not. Please let me know how you think everything is going to turn out. I can promise a whole lot of DRAMA. It is not because our ship is back on track on the show that I have to make it easy on them (or you for that matter) in here, so expect a lot of obstacles for our favorite Outlaw and his Queen.**


	13. The End of Their Story?

**Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for the horrendously long wait! I suffered a case of writer's block and couldn't do anything for a month or so. Here the wait is over, have a long chapter to compensate! Once again I'm so so sorry, forgive me! :3 **

**I want to thank my friend tho, before you lads read, because she's the reason I kept writting, she's the one that kicked my ass each time I procrastinated... so a big thanks to you Mickaela, I love you dearie! 3**

**Okay enough talk! Enjoy!**

* * *

Regina was grateful that Robin came back to look for her. They had been walking for almost an hour now and she wondered how she had made it that far, back then it didn't seem like she had traveled such a long distance… and now that she was exhausted, she couldn't figure out how she would have made it back without leaning heavily on him.

She glanced up to admire his features, hoping he wouldn't notice, but it seemed her efforts were vain as he was already looking down at her, and she wondered. Wondered why he had said everything he did, back at the fallen tree. His words echoed in her mind and they made her head spin. He wanted to make her feel loved, he wanted her to feel like she deserved to and that should have scared her away, it should have made her run for her life, but it didn't. Instead of instilling fear into her, his words made her glow with a sentiment that she thought was long forgotten, a feeling she hadn't felt for what must have been at least a decade. A feeling she thought she had abandoned at the gates of the castle she now lived in. The Queen felt happy.

Her viridian gaze never left his and the expression he could decipher on his Majesty's face left him perplex. It looked like she was amused, but there was something else, something more that he couldn't quite identify. But it was definitely something new… She seemed carefree and she hadn't even bothered to put her mask back in place. And _that_ was something that made excitement course through his veins. She was being herself with him, no more walls and no more fears, and he was grateful that the moment they had shared earlier had happened.

They kept walking for a while, heads lost in thoughts, when Regina finally broke the silence between them. A smirk tugging at her lips and a playful expression in her eyes made Robin immediately understand he was in trouble.

"Robin…?" her tone was far too sweet as she rolled his name off her tongue.

He stopped moving forward and turned to face her fully. He murmured a faint _'your Majesty?'_ and hoped for the best.

Reaching out, Regina took both of his hands in hers; her grip was firm yet gentle. Her head titled so she could stare at him, she wasn't smirking anymore and her traits –to an untrained eye- could've been interpreted as deadly serious (but they were more like half-playful and half-I'm-about-to-rip-your-head-off-in-a-very-regal-manner). The Queen wanted to play a bit with her thief and the look on his face guaranteed her that the trick she was playing on him was working, and so she started to talk again, watching every single of his reactions with delight.

"As I said… Robin." He nodded and she let his hands go, "you expressed a quite vigorous envy of having a certain royal between your sheets…" her voice was imperious as if she was dictating a command to one of her knights, he gulped –audibly- and she walked a few feet away from him, "… having thoughts like that, can be very, _very_ dangerous. Especially for a common thief like you." She turned around, facing him, her eyes now glowing with some kind of mad desire and her smile twisted into something almost evil, "it could get you executed." She seemed to have steeled herself now and Robin felt uneasy, heat was rising in his body and he was suddenly sweaty. That was until she started laughing. Robin sighed, relieved and started laughing too.

She stepped towards him, grabbed his right hand and started walking towards the camp once more. She looked at him over her shoulder. "I'm serious Robin, it could've gotten you executed, saying something like that to the wrong person… but you're lucky that this certain royal would also like to spend the night with you."

It was obvious she had wanted it, but voicing her desires in such a way made her feel so uncomfortable. _A decade of not having the right to express what she wants will do that to a woman… _that stern voice of hers was at it again, but Regina couldn't care less for the time being.

"So…? You're not mad about what I said earlier?" He stepped in and walked a bit faster, allowing him not to be dragged around anymore. "For I thought the _Evil_ Queen would have been a little more reluctant to have an outlaw in her bed…" his thick accent was teasing and she couldn't help the smile that crept at the corner of her mouth.

"Well, if the thief in question wasn't so handsome… I surely would've been a little more averse to the situation bu-"

"So I'm handsome now?" he arched a sable eyebrow and she giggled lightly.

"Yes, you are."

_What's your problem Regina!? What happened to the no feelings rule we set up? God you're so stupid! All he wants is to be able to say he got in your pants… _

"Shut it!" she mumbled and as soon as she realized she had spoken aloud, her free hand covered her mouth.

Robin looked at her, a strange expression etched on his face and his tone grew concerned as he voiced _'is everything alright, Milady?'_ and Regina simply shook her head 'yes'.

"Let's hurry back to camp… shall we?" he said and she gladly accepted his sudden change in the conversation.

* * *

They kept silent for some time after that. Both of them trying not to come back to that awfully awkward misstep the Queen had committed. Fortunately as they both walked, their silence never grew heavy, they kept stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking, kept holding hands, intertwining their fingers together and reveling in each other's presence.

On the moment, Regina had felt so idiotic, she usually was way better at this, she couldn't understand why she had spoken aloud and Robin, being the selfless and honorable man he was, was trying to get her to open up again. He tried desperately to get her to explain to him what was the reason she had spoken aloud such words, but each time he would come up empty handed as the Queen shrugged off his questioning. And so after a while he gave up, thinking it was better for her to tell him when she would feel confident enough to do so, in the mean time he'd just have to forget it.

And he did.

He looked at her and she gave him a warm loving look that was so uncharacteristic of the woman he had met inside the frigid castle he had stormed few days, almost a week even, ago. His heart swelled once more at the realization that he was the reason she had opened up so much in so little time.

After a while of companionable silence and of basking in the sounds of nature, Regina started making idle chitchat with her thief, hoping it would help her get over the never ending noises inside her skull. It didn't, but when Robin started replying to her, then every single atom of her being were focused on him and the nagging voices inside her, those insane personas sharing her body and mind, shut up as well –as if they were hypnotized by his thick accent and his luscious lips.

In less time than they could say, they found themselves to be in the middle of their camp and the little world that had taken form around the two of them started crumbling as Robin stopped talking. He looked around for a couple of seconds, taking in the sight of the deserted camp and realization hit him like a tidal wave. Everything was silent, there were no chitchatting men around the now dying fire, no toddler running around with rocks and wood sticks, no half-drunken laughter and not even the wind was blowing a leaf their way as if it dared not disturb the deadly peace and quiet of the scene before them.

Robin broke out of Regina's embrace in a split second, taking out his bow and arming an arrow onto it, not quite pulling on the string just yet. He examined the surroundings for a moment, looking for anything that would lead him to where his crew was. His features bared a crossed expression and Regina knew something was wrong, not only because of how her thief acted, but because she could feel it deep down in her bones. Something had happened while they were gone…

Her gaze started scanning the tents, and even the outskirts of the woods around them, and she understood. It wasn't something that had stumbled into the camp and took the outlaws away, but some_one_. She shivered as she spotted a patch of drying blood seeping into the ground, and naturally being the curious, untameable and impatient Queen that she was, she furiously prowled toward the only sign of fight that she had found.

She bent down and ran two fingers into the cooling and squishy mixture. There was a sufficient amount of it to suggest that someone had been gravely injured, but the absence of a corpse nearby left her thinking that it hadn't been mortal. She looked up in Robin's direction and with a brief movement of her hand indicated him to come over where she was crouched.

In a few swifts motions he was by her side. He didn't even need to ask why she had brought him over as his blues eyes landed on the mushy soil that was now a heavy mix of mud and blood. He swore under his breath and looked at her, concern written all over his face.

"Do you have any idea of what might have happened here?" she asked, her eyes locking with his in a terribly intense staring contest.

He shook his head negatively and racked his brain to try and find an explanation to whatever might have occurred while they were away.

"Does anyone, except for me, knows where your camp ground is?" she pressed.

Robin sighed loudly. "No. No one knows, but we are fairly close to a road and even though not many will venture on it, if someone happened to cross path with one of my men that person might have alerted your knights…" the rest of his sentence trailed off as it did not needed to be voiced out loud since Regina knew exactly what an encounter with one of her patrols would lead to. A shudder shook her entire being at the mere thought…

Promptly she got up and started walking in the direction she thought might lead her to the road. If her men really were behind all this they might still be lurking around waiting for the leader of the merry band of thief to show up and in the mean time they would need a cage to keep the prisoners under control…

Avoiding branches and leaves as she strolled in the dense forest, she heard shuffling noise and assuming it was Robin following her she whispered: "I'm fairly sure they will be kept in a cage, the black knights are probably still looking for survivors…" a low hum of approval sent shivers running down her spine and just as she turned around to the voice of her Robin yelling at her, a sharp and intense feeling of pain assaulted the back of her cranium, making her yelp and causing a darkness she knew all too well to creep up the side of her vision until there was nothing left but numbness and silence.

* * *

He yelled, he tried, he even fought some of them off of him, but just as they had taken him by surprise as he was trying to follow her, they had jumped out behind her and knocked her unconscious. He knew that he had reacted too late; his bow lowered instead of ready to shoot had forbid him from protecting her. He should have been ready, he should have known and he should have been by her side. He had failed her.

The two tall guards clad in black leather armors that had struck and pinned him down were now trying to get him up, but once again he tried to get out of their clutches and run towards her to save her from their horrible hands. However the low chuckle that emanated from the man hovering over him reduced his efforts to dust as he voiced in a perverted kind of way: "If yae don' wan' an'thin' too bad to happen to tha lady, I sugges' yae stay still, big guy."

Robin's stomach rolled and he had to force back the bile that had risen in his throat as he was taken away by the Queen's men. The situation, he thought, was quite ironic as the Queen was currently tossed across the shoulder of a man she had hired, her body limp and seemingly lifeless. He chuckled lightly and got rewarded with a jab in the ribs and a death glare from the other idiot transporting him back to the road.

When the rest of the patrol arrived with two more prisoners, the Captain, Regina had hired a few years prior, smirked.

"Finally! You've found their leader!" he took a quick look at Robin, his eyes shining with a certain madness the thief had recognized in the Queen's eyes as well. "Robin Hood, how lovely of you to join us after all this time… We've been waitin' you know."

He chuckled darkly and was imitated by the rest of the knights. He didn't seem to notice that one of his men was apparently transporting another human being, but when he did, he whistled. A foul noise that made Robin wish he could just punch the man right in the face.

"What have we got there?" he asked the thief, his voice dripping with lust. "Is that your girlfriend, Hood?"

The Captain's greasy laugh echoed in the forest and Robin could not help the envy of spitting right at him. So he did, which rewarded him with a kick him the lower abdomen and a loud scream from the man in charge. "Put him with the others… her too, but as soon as we arrive to the barracks I want her tied up on a post in front of their cage!"

Robin had a bad feeling about all of this and as he was tossed into the same carriage few of his friends already shared he couldn't think about anything else but her. He got to his feet rapidly, glancing around to take in the number of men and evaluate how much time it would take for him to run to the other portable jail they had stuffed his men in.

This was going to be tricky and getting everyone out of this perilous situation would be a real pain in the ass, but he could do it, he'd just have to wait the end of their journey before attempting anything… he could also ask Regina to change back into herself, but that would mean the end of their… relationship? No… but it would definitely put a break to whatever it was that they shared together… and as loyal and honorable as he was Robin was also a man and he wasn't ready to relinquish his beautiful Queen. As selfish as that may sound, it was the truth…

So as the beasts pulling the jails they were all stuck in started to trot down the dirt road, he and the few of his men present in the cell with him –being Little John, Friar Tuck and Alan- schemed an escape plan.

* * *

Regina woke up dizzy and disoriented, her head pounding at the back of her neck and as she made her neck crack and passed a hand at the nape of it she felt a small gash. She automatically winced, but as soon as she noticed she wasn't alone she schooled her features to the best of her abilities.

"Rose!" the voice of a terrified four year old echoed around her.

Sheepishly, she smiled at the toddler who in a second was hitched on her lap, curling up into her as much as he could.

"They caught ev'ryone… I was scared. Where we going?" small tears pooled in his chocolate eyes and she felt sorry for him. She knew it wasn't directly her fault… but her patrols were her responsibility, thus the terrified state of the young child was her doing. She stroked his hair lightly, reassuringly and whispered soft assurances in his ear.

After a little while, the poor boy was finally calm and almost sleeping, his head heavy on her chest. The Queen looked around her, her gaze scanning the faces above her looking for Robin, her heart started pounding when she found no trace of him or Little John… She was about to ask about their whereabouts when the man she recognized as Doncaster, crouched in front of her, giving her a warm smile that matched the one she gave Roland not ten minutes ago.

"They're bringing us to their barracks, Robin and the others are ahead of us in another cage. You must not worry, he'll get us out." His voice was low, as if he was trying not to be heard and that must have been the case, because as soon as one of her knights approached their prison he shot up and looked away.

The man was riding a large ebony stallion, and although she didn't recognize the rider she immediately remembered the horse that shared a special friendship bond with her Rocinante. She smiled earnestly, something she did rarely these days. The knight scoffed lightly, muttered a simple _"peasant" _and passed them to join the rest of the troops ahead. Regina rolled her eyes and did everything she could to repress the laugh that was bubbling in her throat. If only that poor fool knew…

As their journey was brought to an end, the Queen's mind drifted back to the words Doncaster had spoken in the late afternoon. Why would her terrible Black Knights bring the prisoners to their barracks when she had specifically given the order to bring any bandits straight to her? It was a peculiar behavior, but as night had already fallen upon them a few hours ago, she guessed they thought it would be safer for them to spend the night in their quarters… idiots. She'd have to arrange a meeting with them about it, as soon as possible, she thought.

The carriages pulled to a stop suddenly and if she hadn't been sitting on the wooden floor of the contraption she was stuck in, the Queen would have lost her footing and fell. As soon as everything was steady, she got up, Roland still in her arms, clutching tightly on the fabric of her shirt. Signaling to Doncaster to help her, she got out of the toddler's embrace and moved towards the side of the cell illuminated by the faint glow of the building's candle light. She was about to speak up and ask the reason why they weren't being brought to the Queen, but a strong accented voice cut her off.

"What's going to happen next, Captain?" his tone was defiant and hid a bit of mocked amusement.

_Count on that man to say something cocky… at least he's got that. _

Regina chuckled lightly at that, but shut up when she saw the predatory smile of her Captain directed her way. He lazily made his way towards Robin, his eyes traveling between her and him as he slowly licked his lips.

"Well like I said, I'm keeping you here until mornin' and the lady is coming out of that cage to be tied up against that post there." He pointed towards a large metallic pole from which hung large iron chains and shackles. He then laughed as he turned around and walked away ordering as he did that his men '_get the lady out of there'_.

They took her by the waist at first, pulling her out as she grabbed the bars with a strong grip, determined not to let them win –they'd at least need to prove her they weren't weak and that she had hired them for a good reason… and when one of them started smashing the flat side of his blade hard against her fingers she was convinced she'd made the right choice.

Her yelps and sharp cries of pain made Robin's blood boil and his skin crawl up, all he wanted to do was to get the hell out of here and kill every single of those bastards. How dared they treat a woman like she was just a piece of garbage, whether she'd be the Queen or not…

"You cowards! How dare you attack a woman like that?" Little John's voice tore Robin out of his reverie and he looked at his friend, perplex.

"She's affiliated with you lads, we will deal with her as we please!" the furious voice of the Captain echoed in the silence of the night.

Something in the intonation and the words he had chosen triggered Regina's well known wrath and a warm, cosy feeling developed in the pit of her stomach, slowly feeding off the situation.

"As soon as you get her to stop fighting, tie her up and we'll have some fun…" his dark eyes lurked Regina's body up and down with some kind of sick deviance in them and the Queen knew exactly why his words had triggered such emotions only a minute earlier.

She glanced back at Robin, his eyes were dark with anger, his jaw twitched slightly and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Although, as soon as he spotted Regina's own dark gaze on him, he tried to relax a bit, murmuring that he'd get them out of there. She smiled tentatively, trying to tame the inner storm that was growing and that threatened to burst through every inch of her being at any given moment. She highly doubted Robin's ability to get them out of this, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt, hoping it would be enough.

The Queen's focus came back to the present reality as she was kicked behind the knees, making her fall to the rocky soil beneath her. She winced, but didn't get the chance to collect herself before she was dragged the few meters that separated her from the stake. Roughly the guards that held her arms turned her around, so her front was now facing Robin and the rest of the Merry Men and they brought her hands above her head, tying them to the heavy cuffs. As she took in the scene before her, her gaze fell to the two limbs that were splayed in front of her; bloody and full of dirt. That would be a pain in the ass to wash and heal later…

"As I said Hood, we're all gonna have a _little_ fun with your lady…" the coarse voice of the Captain spoke up again and Regina's lips started twitching, slowly turning into a snarl, "… then we're gonna kill you all and tell the Queen we had no choice." He laughed at that and a round of laughter and compliment flew his way, praising him on how he was a genius, a brilliant man and a true leader. "The Queen won't even care if I bring you back dead, she won't even know how much fun we had with the girl, how she'd screamed for mercy before we were finished and how you lads are going to beg us to stop for her sake, she'll never know just ho-"

"ENOUGH!"

The Captain turned around, now facing the slumped form of Regina's shapeshift. Her face was contorted into something almost animalistic, her lips curled up so high her teeth were bare and her eyes were burning with an ardent fire. The foul man stepped closer to her, chuckling.

"Don't you like to know what's waiting for you at the end of the road?" he said archly and she snapped her head up, looking him right in the eyes.

"How dare you disrespect your Queen like that!" her eyes started to glow a deep shade of amethyst as she spoke, her hands were twisting and fighting against the restrains, "How dare you pretend to honor the code she made you swear to?!" the magic running in her veins was concentrated in her hands, and in the dim light of the torches lit a few meters away, they sparkled with the same shade her eyes did. The metal around her wrists creaked and cracked and then it finally snapped open and so did the eyes of the middle-aged knight before her as they widened in shock. "How dare you act upon those animal instincts of yours and blame it on the recklessness of your Queen? How dare you use _my _violence and _my _need for revenge and justice as a right to rape and murder people I haven't been able to judge?"

As she spoke, she got up, smoke engulfing her small frame and swallowing her whole. When it dissipated, it revealed a tall and leather clad Evil Queen, her long hair trapped into a ponytail and her heels high enough to give anyone a certain sense of dizziness. Her eyes were circled with heavy makeup and her lips painted as red as blood. She stalked slowly over to her ex-captain, a snarl rising up in her throat and echoing in the dark.

Quick to realize his mistake, the man dropped to his knees babbling and crying apologies in her direction, but deep down he knew it was too late. She crouched down to his level, bringing her hand to his neck, digging her nails deep into the flesh and getting up –taking the poor man with her by the same fact. She squeezed his throat for a second, cutting out his air and at the same time the endless amount of pleas he let out, with her other hand she waved at the cages behind the man, unlocking them both and allowing the Merry Men to escape.

Quickly they gathered around Robin, who was already bending down to grab and hoist his son into his arms as the little one ran to him. The Merry Men stood proud and ready to ward off anything the deranged Queen would throw their way, glaring at her at the same time.

Looking past the sea of hateful eyes and angry scowls, she searched the outlaw's eyes, hoping to find disgust and repulsion, but she found none, which made her heart break even more. She knew she had to do what she was about to do, if only to prove a point to the men she was supposed to trust with her life. And so, without tearing her brown whiskey gaze away from his sad blue eyes, she roared a loud _'LEAVE!'_ hoping it would be enough for him to go away from her and her wickedness.

The sound of her order, now just an echo in the wind, made every men flinch except for him. He didn't even blink, she knew it was because he saw past her walls, past her schemes and defense mechanisms, and it frustrated her. She didn't want him to see that, didn't want him to realize how much worst then he thought she truly was… But all he did was staring at her, glancing now and then to the squirming man stuck in her sharp claws.

After a few seconds of inaction, he finally moved and broke eye contact.

"Little John?" The tall man beside him nodded, ready to receive his orders. "Take Roland and the others and do as your _Highness_," the word was punctuated by a quick glance her way, "asked."

"Robin. What about you?"

"Don't worry for me. I'm the one that got you lot in trouble, it is my responsibility to get you out of it…" as he finished his heroic speech, he gave his son a kiss on the forehead, murmuring that they would see each other tomorrow night around the campfire. Roland shook his head and clung onto his father's shirt, not quite assimilating everything that was happening around him.

"Go with Little John, now my boy…" was all that was needed afterwards to get him to let go. The tall man hoisted him on his hips and as he walked away he signaled to the rest of them to follow him… something they did quite reluctantly.

Roland twisted in his father's best friend's arms, a small pout on his face as he looked straight into the Queen's eyes. "What about Rose?" he said, his voice filled with innocent concern and once more it made Regina's heart sink in her chest, but what broke her heart the most was his father's answer.

"She won't be coming with us, she has to go home and so do we."

Fighting back the tears, she waited for the men to be out of her sight, thus making sure Roland wouldn't have to see the horrendous spectacle that was about to take place. The man, on whom she had release a bit of her grip, struggled and clawed at her arm, trying desperately to free himself, while the rest of his troop watched, bewildered by the turn of event.

"Why…? Why didn't you leave?" her voice was barely just above a whisper, her stupefaction crystal clear.

"Because I am _not_ scared of you…" his voice was strong and for every other man standing by it sounded like defiant, but to Regina it was like the sweetest promise of love. Something she had longed for, for so long.

Her eyes softened a bit, not baring a single trace of the hatred and anger that had consumed her earlier. "You might not be, _thief_, but you won't stop me from doing what I have to do." She sounded and looked confident and regal, but as usual the only things betraying her were her eyes. They were pleading him to make it stop, begging him to take the dandling piece of man that clawed at her wrist away from her, asking him not to give up on her and to help the frightened little girl stuck inside these queenly attires. But he didn't move, he knew better, he knew that it would cause him trouble, knew that in an instant she could turn her back to him and kill him all the same and so he stayed there, feet glued to the ground…

She sighed, something heavy with remorse and self-loathing, focused her gaze back onto the once captain of her guards and her eyes steeled themselves once more, leaving no more place to that little girl and showing only the devastating nature of the _Evil _Queen.

She didn't squeeze, nor did she kill him instantly, she wanted to make an example out of him. Her brown eyes glowed purple and the air around her became thick and fiery. Her left hand became hot and the squirming man began to scream in agony as if fire was burning inside of him. The guards around them tried to move and help him, but with a swift movement of her hands, the Queen glued them to the ground. She wanted the piece of garbage in front of her to suffer and no one else was to help him get out of this. No one. She dug her nails further into his flesh, making small incisions and allowing blood to run down her fingers as the magic in her hand coursed through his body. He yelled and begged for mercy, tried all that he could, but he was burning up, his insides getting roasted by the fire slowly replacing his blood and as he fought for dear life, tears started to roll down his cheeks, hot and steamy and hurting him more than anything else.

The screams grew faint with each passing moment, Robin flinched as some of them were so horridly close to the noises of a dying beast, but he didn't move. He glanced towards Regina, her eyes, locked with the man in front of her, were empty of all light and the only thing that was left in them was the distinct coloring of her magic. After a few moments, the man expired; it had been horrendous in the last as he had started coughing up blood and as his eyes began to melt out of him.

As soon as life exited his body, she let him go, his large body slumping to the rocky soil beneath their feet. She turned around, facing every other man at her service, her glare showing annoyance and her expression clear that she didn't want to be crossed again.

"Does anyone else want to serve as an example?" she roared and the cowards in front of her quickly shook their head 'no'. She smiled, something vicious and dark, and hummed her approval. "Then I never want any of you baboons acting like that again, or I'll make sure that all of you serve as an example."

She turned back to Robin, his expression baffled, but determined. She murmured a soft_ "Goodbye Robin" _and flicked her wrist, fog engulfing her rather imposing form and disappeared.

For a second, he stayed there, bewildered, looking at the empty space before him and at the corpse on the ground. Then he turned around and started running, in the direction his friend had taken, murmuring to himself _"I will find you and I will bring you back Regina. I promise."_

For a second after she reappeared, she stayed still, unable to move, unable to talk even unable to breathe, but then the sobs that she had restrained in the forest, made their way up her throat and she burst into tears, her body going completely limp and slumping to the dark marble floor of her bedchambers, the voices in her head stronger than ever, whispering _'the no feelings rule, my dear...' _and_ 'I told you so!'_, nagging her as she cried every tear in her body until an extreme feeling of exhaustion got the best of her.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! I'm sorry for the mistakes I wanted to post as fast as possible, there might be some updates on this, me rereading it once more correcting stuff... anyway leave a fav, a review or even a PM if you want, it's really appreciated :P One more thing, I might reupload the first chapters, with a more refined and worked up version of it so keep an eye out.**

**You can also follow me on Tumblr (saskwatche) if you want to have sneak peeks and other prompts :D **

**Have a great day -xxx-**


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